Bringing the Dawn: Book One
by Tastychainsaws
Summary: After losing her homeland, Perrine has trained her entire life under the guidance of Mio Sakamoto. One day, Sakamoto disappears and sends Perrine a letter months later, instructing her to build a task force of the strongest witches in Europe to retake Gallia. This is the first part of Perrine's journey in an epic fantasy to bring the dawn to Gallia with the help of new friends.
1. The First Witch

**Bringing the Dawn**

**A Strike Witches Fanfiction by Tastychainsaws**

**Chapter One**

**The First Witch**

"_Don't fear the eyes of the dark lord  
Morgoth I cried  
All hope is gone but I swear revenge  
Hear my oath  
I will take part in your damned fate._"

_-The Curse of Feanor _by_ Blind Guardian_

_**Author's Forward (PLEASE READ): **__Before you start reading this, I want to first say that a good deal of the plot is based around twists and reveals as the story goes on. If you're going to review this (please do, I would love to hear feedback and thoughts or just whether or not you liked it since it took me nearly a year to write it) __**SPOILER TAG REVIEWS**__. Seriously, I don't want someone to click the reviews for this wondering if this is any good and immediately see, "Oh, Eila was Perrine's mother all along! What a twist! Also, I really like that part where so-and-so dies at the end!" Neither of those two things are true, but you get the idea._

_Thank you for being considerate to others, pals._

_This next bit is less important, so you can skip if you want:_

_One last thing. For a _Strike Witches _fantasy story to truly work, in my opinion, I needed to take some creative liberties. I want this to sort of mirror the 1942 setting, with names of countries and such being the same. I know that in the 14__th__ century Karlsland and Suomus would not have been places, but please just suspend your disbelief so that the story can work. Some 14__th__ century history stuff is mentioned, but for the most part just view this as an entirely different world where only the events mentioned in the story are key. Same goes for some stuff with the _Strike Witches_ canon that have been changed at my discretion. For instance, Lucchini's magic is changed to something else because it's too similar to what other witches can do and I want her to stand out more. Don't worry though, all the mary-sue bullshit of Strike Witches such as Eila's broken-ass plot armor are still here. Some characters have minor personality changes to also make them fit this story, but at the same time scenes and dialogue from the anime are mirrored verbatim in this._

_However, if you're a history buff or *shiver__*__, a _Strike Witches_ canon buff, and you see something horribly wrong feel free to send me a private message to call me a giant poopy head who needs to get his _Strike Witches_ knowledge together._

**1**

Just before the entrance to the forest stood a totem of skulls propped up by spears. A crude warning by some crude race who lurked in these wild reaches of the world. Could Perrine possibly be going the right way? The dirt and snow covered road she was traveling continued on through the forest, with the overhanging branches of evergreens too thick for snow to reach the ground. Their thickness left the forest looking dark and foreboding. She wasn't particularly thrilled with Suomus so far.

Perrine checked the map she purchased days ago in the city of Turku. Its frayed edges whipped and blew in the freezing wind around her. She held it close, trying to use her reindeer fur cloak to keep snow from getting it wet. Her efforts were hardly successful.

The map was so smeared and useless now that Perrine felt like she'd be better off just balling it up and tossing it aside like it was rubbish. The path she was taking wasn't marked on the major map. She was deep into Suomus; parts that foreigners didn't venture to.

"Oh Sakamoto..." She voiced aloud, "...why couldn't you have given clearer directions in your letter?"

Fighting the urge to toss it, Perrine put the map away again and ventured forth. She was thankful that the forest road was free of snow. Her ankles ached from walking in it, but her high leather boots had kept snow from freezing her feet. The rest of her body was mostly concealed with her reindeer fur cloak, with her plumed hat resting behind her neck. She looked like a simple traveler, which was how she preferred it to discourage highwaymen and robbers.

Her mind wandered back to the letter she had received from one very missing Mio Sakamoto. Gone for nearly six months now:

_"I can't say much, lest this letter is intercepted by the enemy. There's a way to win this war, and I'm entrusting you to take these first steps. First we need a team, gather these witches and bring them to Castle Folkestone in Britannia. Lady Minna-dietlinde Wilke knows of this letter and can be trusted there. She has been instructed to gather one of the witches upon your __receiving__ of this letter, and your leave._

_ "The first witch is in Suomus. Ask for Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen in the Turku area, I'm sure her name has traveled far enough that with a bit of asking you may find directions to where she lives. She's a powerful wizard, invaluable to defeating our enemy. Know that her words often betray her true meanings and heart. She can be trusted no matter what."_

Shortly after traveling to Suomus, Perrine learned this Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen seemed to enjoy her privacy. The directions Perrine had gotten in Turku (she had met some difficulty finding someone who could speak English) didn't tell her where to go after this forest. It merely said to keep following this road... and to watch for trolls.

Perrine had her rapier for trolls though, along with a bit of magic. She _was_ a witch after all, like every woman had been on her mother's side of the family before her. Beyond that, she had been trained by Mio Sakamoto herself. Sakamoto was the most skilled swordswoman in all of Europe, as Perrine liked to believe and had ever reason to. For ten years (give or take months), Perrine had trained nearly every day. Sakamoto's style was graceful and deadly, like a dance of steel. Learning this lovely dance had been brutal, bloody, and trialing. Sakamoto was of Fuso, a land far to the east, and was small as Fusons often were; but she had the endurance and stamina of any fighting man. Her training had hardened Perrine, but she still had the graceful stature and build of a proper Gallian woman.

Breaking Perrine from her thoughts, something stirred beyond the trees for a moment. Perrine's hand instantly shot to the basket hilt of her rapier. It was just a black fox. The little thing bounded into the road, swishing its white-tipped tail back and forth and looked up at Perrine with curious eyes.

She sighed in relief and ran a gloved hand through her blonde hair. She certainly felt silly for reacting this way to some little animal. Perrine knelt down and offered her hand to the fox, not really expecting much from it. The fox looked at her for a moment longer before bouncing off.

_It was like it was scoping me out... _Perrine thought as the little fox disappeared. She shook her head and composed herself. This was silly. As a noble lady of Gallia out on her own for the first time, she could not be jumping at shadows like that. She needed to keep her wits about her and move forward with bravery and grace. It was no less than than what Sakamoto would have expected from after all these years of training and effort. This was an important mission she was on, there was no time for games.

What made Perrine wonder the most though was just what the Suoms had meant about trolls. It seemed farfetched that there were _actual_ trolls of myth and legend roaming the supposed it was the Dark Ones they had seen, and mistaken for something out of a fairy tale. Perrine had never faced the Dark Ones in battle by herself, but she thought herself ready. Only witches were really able to combat them. The two were opposing forces: good and evil. Only witches could defeat Dark Ones consistently and skillfully; and only Dark Ones could hunt and slay witches with equal prowess.

Perrine didn't know how a handful of people were supposed to retake all of her homeland from them though. Her trust in Sakamoto was unwavering, and she left it at that. Thinking of her homeland was too difficult. So many things left behind and destroyed: her family in particular. The Gallian put a fist to her chest, restating her oath mentally. Neuroin and his Dark Ones would pay. She'd drive her mother's rapier through each and every one of their red, crystal hearts if she had to. Revenge would be hers.

Those thoughts were pushed out of her head. It was no use getting worked up about this. She needed to find Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen. Sakamoto often said she had a bad habit of getting distracted by pointless thoughts.

The forest was setting her already exhausted nerves on edge. Things kept moving in the corner of her eyes. Whispers carried with the wind, muttering something in Suomish. It wasn't farfetched to accept these woods as enchanted, but that didn't make Perrine feel good at all about walking through them in the slightest. She was in the furthest reaches of the world now, north of the mainland of Europe. It was here that magical things still existed hidden in nature.

The sun felt entirely obscured above by the towering evergreens; all bathed in thick moss. It would have been very beautiful if it didn't feel so eerie.  
Another totem was ahead, this time decorated with the upper half of a full human skeleton with bleached bones. Perrine's heart skipped a beat. From the shadows of a thorny bush between some trees, yellow eyes were staring at her. The road was getting harder and harder to follow as well as the foliage around her became thicker and thicker.

Nearly having to stomp to traverse the underbrush, she pressed on down what _looked_ like the road. She ignored the watchful eyes of whatever had been watching her. Spirits, faeries, or some enchanted beasts; it didn't matter. No matter how brave she tried to force herself to be, a deep feeling of anxiety was rising. Something told her whatever lurked in the enchanted woods and freezing north of Suomus certainly wouldn't face her fairly in a duel. She almost regretted not learning how to fight like a brutish commoner. Even in the face of adversity and mystery, she still clung to her courage.

Yet courage was not absolute. She quietly recited the Lord's prayer to herself while clutching her rosary. Something told her she was beyond God's jurisdiction now. How long had she been moving forward in this forest? Time seemed to blur. Just what kind of hermit of a witch was she looking for? It was easy to picture some old crone with a bent back. Witches lost the bulk of their magic around the age of twenty, living the rest of their life with a shadow of what they once possessed before. Sakamoto, in her thirties could not face the Dark Ones in battle any longer. It was her wisdom that was her strength against them, and the knowledge she could pass onto others.

Once again pulling Perrine from her thoughts, something grunted to her right. She reacted by spinning on the heels of her boots and putting her hand on her rapier. This wasn't some cute animal now. Cute animals did not grunt.

Sure enough, hiding in the shadows a stone's throw away was something with brutish yellow eyes. It slowly lumbered forward, revealing its great self. Standing twelve feet tall, it was like an extension of the very trees in the form of man. It was humanoid shaped, with skin like bark that was covered in moss. Upon its face was a great mossy beard and a long, fat nose below those yellow eyes.

"Hu...man..." It grunted, eying her with curiosity. "Smells of... faraway. Not men of these lands."

"I am Perrine Clostermann, a noble lady of Gallia!" She declared as she dramatically tossed her reindeer skin away. Beneath it, she wore a blue surcoat with minor fortifications of armor.. Her forearms were covered in light metal armor, as were her knees just below her navy blue skirt. With the sweeping motion of her hand she covered the top of her long wavy blonde hair with her wide-brimmed hat. The bright plumed feather of a colorful bird adorned her hat. She pushed her glasses up her nose and gazed upon what she had assumed was indeed a troll. "What may I call you, fair forest creature?"

Diplomacy felt like the best course of action for such a strange creature. She felt tense and nervous, but not frightened or surprised. After seeing the Dark Ones in Gallia not much phased her anymore. Nothing could compare to the fear their dark forms instilled to those would could not battle.

"Call me..." The troll looked as if it was thinking hard. "...Oorko... it will do."  
'Oorko' stepped forward, his skin making the noise of twisting bark as he did so. Nearly involuntary, Perrine stepped backward in response.

Remaining something close to composed she said, "I'm here in search of a witch. I've been told she is the only one of this area. Do you know of any witches, fair Oorko?"

There was a snort from the great creature as it approached her. His answer came in the form of a slow mutter, "Witches... magical humans... always troublesome."

"Yes, I'm sure anyone who lives out here is – no offense – but I really need to-" Perrine gave a quick yelp as this Oorko grabbed her by her leg and hoisted her upside down. Her hat fell to the leaves below, along with her glasses and rapier. She gave a flustered cry, "Put me down you great ugly brute!"

"I think not," He replied in his strange, melancholic voice. The troll turned around and began carrying Perrine with him. No matter how much she struggled, kicked and fought, he didn't relinquish his grip.

"Where are you taking me!?" Perrine demanded. She was swaying too much to properly concentrate to use her family's magic spell. Were she able to, the great brute that carried her along would have been little more than kindling to her.

"Cauldron..." Oorko murmured as he trudged through bushes like they were thin grass. Perrine yelped and protested as her hair was dragged through branches. "...Yes... have not had human in a long time. Others are hungry too. If not, we shall simply burn you."

"You can't eat me!" She cried, uselessly kicking his hand with her one free foot. "I am a human being! I'm also on a mission to save Gallia! You cannot be so far removed to not know of the Dark Ones and their threat, can you?"

"We are not," The troll argued in his same dull voice, and looked down at her. "Oorko knows of your Gallia. Gone to Neuroin, and his Dark Ones. Impossible for you to be there."

"Gallia is still Gallia!" Perrine's voice was more frantic, now marked with anger. "You stupid oaf! How can you understand anything about civilization and society if you just snatch away travelers? Now let me go so I may gather my things and _leave_. I did not do a thing to you, so _let me go!_"

"I think not," He said once more.

They went over a hill, Perrine protesting and kicking until her leg was sore. Going down the hill she settled for crossing her arms and frowning at Oorko and everything else around her. Once she had a moment of stillness when she wasn't being carried, she would torch this whole forest along with this horrible monster. She just had to keep calm and composed if she wanted to get out of this. Her wits were her greatest strength when her rapier was no longer at her side.

Along the way, she spotted that silly little fox again. Perrine stuck her tongue out at it. Some help it was.

Oorko the hungry troll carried her to a special part of the forest. Great stones were propped against the root of a mountain the forest grew around. The stones were made into clumsy huts and homes. From within, more trolls showed their ugly heads. Some had skin like trees, others had skin like dirt and rocks. They all seemed quite interested in what their Oorko had brought back.

"Just one?" A fat troll with the skin of stone pouted.

"Yes, she's rather small," An earthy one criticized, making Perrine frown harder.

"Oh, can we keep it as a pet?" A vaguely female one with the likeliness of a tree asked in a shrill voice.

"No!" Oorko boomed. "This one of Gallia is mine. My mind is made, she is not for eating..."

Perrine sighed in relief.

"...she is obviously a witch. So... we shall burn her."

"Hold on now!" Perrine yelped. "You don't want to do that! I'm here to stop the Dark Ones! You know of them, they're already in Suomus, to the east! Neuroin will come here, he'll slay everything. I need the witch in this land to help me stop this. You'll all die too!"

"Trolls do not fear the Dark Ones." That stony troll retorted.

Oorko nodded, "Trolls have nothing to fear. You, however, witch of Gallia should be thankful. It is better to die to us than your Dark Ones later."

"_What!?_" Perrine practically shrieked. "You fools! Neuroin has armies of men at his command as well!"

No amount of arguing could convince them to let her go. Their stone-cold apathy was driving her batty beyond the fact they were trying to roast her alive. She found herself tied tightly to a wooden pole as the trolls gathered kindling for a bonfire around her. They did not fear anything of Neuroin's armies, and were interested in no material possessions of men. Threats and bribery could not save Perrine. The trolls were as stubborn as the very earth they seemed to be made of.

Perrine's mind desperately tried to think of a solution in this dire situation. There was no way this could be the end. Sakamoto would not have sent her out if she was not prepared for the was not how she had expected things to go. All she could do was shiver in the Suomus cold and wind as a great heap of kindling was brought about her. Perrine almost considered using an argument that the witches were doing God's work, but she had heard the name of the Lord sent monsters into a frenzy of hatred.

The trolls gathered around her as Oorko stomped forward with a great blazing torch. Perrine's mouth was agape, and cold sweat was pouring from every pore of her body. Above them, the sun was setting, which felt like a fitting omen. It was strange, here she was so close to what was going to be death. She did not know how to feel. Ashamed? She hadn't made it very far at all before everything fell apart.

As the torch sparked the first of the kindling, it was extinguished entirely by a great gust of wind that tugged fiercely at Perrine's clothes. It came from the west, the direction of the forest where she had first been carried. It had been too strong to be natural. The trolls looked in that direction, and there stood a girl at around Perrine's young age of fifteen. She wore a very simple Suomus dress and was holding Perrine's rapier in her hand. In the other, under her arm was that black fox. Her hair was a silvery blond color, and her eyes a dull but beautiful indigo.

"Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen!" Perrine called out, smiling for the first time all day. There was no mistaking who this was.

"Right in one go." Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen returned her smile as she stepped fearlessly to the astounded trolls. "I got here right on time; as is expected from a wizard. Now how should we do this? Thunderbolts? A rain of acid? A tsunami of lava? Hmm, no, better keep it simple."

She dropped the fox and raised her now free hand. It glowed with power and she pointed it at Perrine. The ropes binding her to that pole suddenly turned to flowers and fell to the ground around her.

"My famous my _rope to flowers_ spell! Like it?"

"Yes, fantastic!" Perrine blurted out, just relieved to be free. She made a run for it and Oorko went to seize her as she went. The witch raised both her hands and shouted, "_Tonnerre!_"

A blast of lightning shot from the palms of her gloved hands and sent Oorko staggering back. The smell of woodsmoke filled Perrine's nose as the great troll went up in flames. He fell on his back with a mighty, earthshaking _THUD_ and moaned in pain. His moans sounded like the kind one would make from an upset stomach as opposed to being on fire after being the victim of a lightning strike.

Perrine sprinted for the Suomish witch. Her hands were over her blonde hair, trying to cover the fact it had frizzled so much from the spell. Vanity was not her concern, but it was out of force of habit.

Eila tossed Perrine her rapier, which she caught. They looked at the slowly advancing, clumsy trolls as they growled and grunted threateningly at the two girls.

"You know my name. What do I call you, Four-eyes?" The silver haired girl asked her then cast another spell at the trolls. Black, slippery oil shot from her hands and landed just beneath their feet. They all began slipping and sliding, tripping over one another in a great big pile. It was almost comical to watch from where Eila and Perrine stood.

"Four-eyes!?" Perrine gasped, but was smiling as she watched the clumsy, slipping trolls. Not one of the twelve of them seemed capable to get to their feet without falling instantly. "I'll have you know my name is Perrine Clostermann, a noble lady of Gallia."

"Gallia?" Eila raised an eyebrow. Oorko rolled into the patch of oil and set it ablaze instantly. A blast of hot wind sent both the girls' hair flying back. Now the trolls were all moaning as the fire consumed them.

"Yes... Gallia..." Perrine was too astounded by what just happened to properly speak. "Oh dear... this is no good."

"Gallia..." Eila repeated, staring as well. "Uh... jeeze, I didn't want to _kill_ them. Alright, I know how you _people_..." Her indigo eyes found Perrine's rosary, "...are about monsters like this. And I suppose they did want to eat you."

"What do you mean, _you people_!?" Perrine raised her voice.

Eila shrugged and turned around, "Nothing at all. Good thing Arina here found you skulking about the forest. Though you hurt her feelings making faces at her. She's very sensitive, you know."

Perrine just now noticed the fox walking alongside them with its tail between her legs. Perrine stopped and knelt down. "Noble Arina... the fox. I express my deepest gratitude towards you. You may have saved my life."

The fox leaped up to lick her nose, making Perrine chuckle as she got to her feet. She looked at Eila and asked, "Is she your pet, or your familiar? So few witches keep familiars any longer."

"I'm not just a witch." Eila informed her, "A full wizard. Let me guess you just got that little lightning trick? Which was quite nice by the way."

Perrine nodded. She wore her face of the noble girl she thought herself to be (and very much wanted to be). Very proper and composed, "Yes, _Tonnerre_ is a spell that has been in my family for generations."

"There you go. Most witches have their single spell or power, but I've spent my life learning a whole bunch! As part of the Northern Order, I learned magic from the ancient writings. I have a spell for pretty much any occasion, really. I have that one that made the wind, the one that made the oil, and around a hundred more. I pride myself in making everyone else in a company of warriors feel inadequate as I can do anything and more!"

"Yes, I'm sure your magic is quite something," Perrine humored her, but was far from convinced of Eila's words. She had heard rumors that all wizards were like this; arrogant, pompous, and so sure of their abilities. Their kind were diminishing though. Perrine had been told the Eastern Order and Western Order were all but gone. Members of the Southern Order no long gathered in fellowship, and the remnants of the Northern Order were few and far between. Still, Eila had saved her and seemed nice enough. Plus, if even if she was half the wizard she claimed to be, then Sakamoto was right in trying to find her.

"Have you seen my hat and glasses?" Perrine asked her. She was shivering now without her cloak. Eila was wearing less and seemed unaffected by the cold.

"Yeah, Arina saw them back where that troll snatched them up. I grabbed your rapier, because I thought it'd come in handy more than a silly old hat," Eila answered as she began leading Perrine back that direction.

"It's not a silly old hat!" Perrine exclaimed.

"Really?" Eila cocked an eyebrow. "Does it shoot fire or let you see in the dark?"

"No, that's absurd!" Perrine huffed in frustration. "It just belonged to my mother, and I have very few of her possessions left."

"Mhm, touching," The wizard looked far from interested. "On to more important business. How'd you know my name?"

"I've been looking for you, Miss Juuti-"

"Just Eila, thanks."

"Right, _Eila_..." Perrine cleared her throat and began, "...you see, I've traveled from Britannia to get here and find you. I'm under the orders of the great and wonderful kensai, Mio Sakamoto."

"Great _and_ wonderful?" Eila feigned surprise. "Don't tell me she's beautiful, gorgeous, and amazing all at the same time too."

"Well if your preference is in Fuson woman, I suppose she is quite so," Perrine answered, and then raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"

"Just a hunch."

Perrine continued, "Never mind that for now. Anyway, you see, Sakamoto has a plan. She thinks she knows how to defeat Neuroin and his Dark Ones, but she needs your help along with the help of others across Europe."

"Pass," Eila answered instantly and nonchalantly. "I'm staying as far away from Gallia as possible, thank you. Same goes for the Dark Ones."

"You can't pass!" Perrine grabbed Eila's hands. "I've traveled _months_ to get to this horrible forest, and Sakamoto _needs_ you! You said it yourself, you're a wizard who can do anything. _Pass _is not an option!"

Eila fought herself from Perrine's grip and took several steps away from her. Now her response was more serious, "Look, I'm flattered your precious kensaiwhatever thinks so highly of me, but I'm not fighting your battles. Me, my sister, and my dear friend Sanya are quite happy living out here on our own, thanks. I'm not ready to abandon either of them and jump back into adventure so soon. That was not part of the deal!"

Perrine wondered just what that meant. Not allowing herself to become angry or frustrated at this girl, she straightened herself and replied, "I would appreciate it if you at least considered Sakamoto's offer. Perhaps you would like to hear how things are back in the mainland of Europe. You know, what we're fighting for."

"Well, last I heard, Gallia fell..."

"Which was _ten__ years ago_." Perrine reminded her. "What about the fighting in Karlsland, Orussia, and the southern lands of Romagna and Afrika? Do you have any idea where the Dark Ones are? How strong they are? How safe _you_ are?"

Eila hung her head for a moment, thinking. She eventually shook it and said, "No, we don't really get post out here and the only news we get is from what Arina overhears from people passing around. We keep low in this part of Suomus. I know witches down in Gallia and Romagna are heralded as angels, but out here the locals are a little afraid if they know our magic. Especially with wizardry, since the Church considers it mischievous and untrustworthy. Things are just a mess in the world right now, and we want no part of it."

Perrine saw Eila's eyes focus on the rosary around her neck; it was another possession that had been her mother's. She snorted and covered it with her hand, "Don't get any queer notions. I certainly have no qualms about your magic, and for that matter I am certainly not heralded as an angel anywhere I go. I am a simple young lady of Gallia from an aristocratic family, and I seek to end Neuroin anyway I can."

"How noble," Eila was chuckling. It made Perrine flush with frustration as her chuckling sounded mocking. The wizard bent down and picked up Perrine's fallen glasses and handed them to her. Perrine thanked her and took them, then retrieved her hat. She brushed it off and placed it on her head, feeling that things were a bit more right in the world now.

"I'm thinking," Eila said now that Perrine had retrieved her things, "you should come back to my place so we can talk this over. I want to get a few second opinions as well. We have tea, a sauna, and a spare bed so you should be comfortable. I mean, don't get me wrong I really don't want to go anywhere. It just seems rude not to share any Suomish hospitality."

"Thank you, you're very generous," Perrine gave a polite bow. Secretly she wanted nothing to do with saunas. She hated everything about them. Food and a warm bed sounded heavenly though. They began walking again, and Perrine simply followed her new companion who seemed to know precisely where to go. The forest seemed a bit brighter now, a little less hostile and mysterious. Still, one thing weighed on Perrine's mind.

"Why did those trolls have it out for me? They thought burning me alive was doing me a favor!"

"Yeah, troll logic isn't always quite sound." Eila gave a sheepish shrug. "Their opinions on the Dark Ones are strange. The Dark Ones' leader, _Neuroin_, uses magic and so do we. So they think it's our fault that the Dark Ones are around, and that killing us not only saves us from dying to them but also helps fight them."

"That's preposterous!" Perrine exclaimed in anger, "We witches are the only ones who can defeat them!"

"Yeah, yeah. Maybe there's more to it that we don't know. Hard to ask trolls about it when you murder them all."

The wizard knelt down to her fox and spoke in Suomish to it. The fox seemed to nod in reply and bounded off ahead of them, disappearing into the twilight forest. Eila relayed her message to Perrine, "I sent Arina back home and told her to tell Sanya to make sure that dinner is definitely ready, and that we have a guest. It's a bit of a walk, so it'll be late by the time we get back."

Perrine nodded and kept on with her. She wasn't quite talkative, and was rather dizzy from that entire encounter with the trolls. It was so outrageous, so fast, and so strange that her head was spinning. They weren't that intimidating or frightening compared to the Dark Ones she saw ten years ago when Gallia fell. It was strange, that event had happened so long ago, it felt like. It was something she had spent her entire life dealing with yet people referred to it as if it had happened just weeks ago.

She didn't want to think about it, but her mind drifted back to those hellish days when it had all happened. There was so much fire, so much death, so much chaos and destruction. Their beautiful city of Caen had fallen in a single day. Neuroin himself had led the assault, personally disposing of any witches that could defend the city. There had been a lot more back then, probably around two-thousand. Now they were rumored to number around fifty per land.

No matter how hard she fought the thoughts away, they still came. Bitter and dark memories.

_"Take her! Please, I beg of you! She's a witch too, Mio! Please, just get her to safety!"_

Perrine shivered, remembering her mother's voice. She remembered a younger Mio Sakamoto nodding, then everything past that was a blur. The only thing she recalled clearly was Sakamoto leading the two of them away as the Dark Ones cut down the men and women of arms who tried to defend Caen.

Then she felt a flare of anger at Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen. This little brat had powers and the ability to change this war and make a difference. And what did she want to do with them? Hide in some horrible forest in some horrible frozen land far beyond the core of the fighting. She was privileged with magic that Perrine would have given anything for and wasn't doing a thing with it. Why did she get to live in comfort and safety with powers to protect people, while Perrine had lost everything and was struggling at every turn?

Her parents, her homeland... and now Sakamoto had been gone sixth months with nothing more than a vague letter telling Perrine where to go. Sakamoto had been all Perrine had for so long, and now she was out in Suomus alone, with nothing but a few possessions that had belonged to her parted parents.

As they walked through the night, bitterness towards Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen only grew.

**To Be Continued**

_**Author's Notes/Commentary (oh man a lot to say here)**__: The song _The Curse of Fëanor _by _Blind Guardian _(the one quoted at the beginning) is totally cool to listen to. It's the theme for this whole story and the inspiration, check it out! The song _You Looked Into My Eyes_ by _Korpiklaani_ was also inspiration for this chapter and is worth looking up too. I hope you guys can enjoy these as much as I do!_

_Funny thing about that song though, the _Blind Guardian_ one. See, originally I had planned to write this story as a _Strike Witches_ parody of like, typical fantasy tropes and JRPGs. The plot was going to be really simple, may be six chapters or so long and full of stupid laughs like my other _Strike Witches_ stories. Now for a little history lesson about Tastychainsaws_

_I started writing this in February of 2013 (writing this bit in early December now) and at the time I just wanted to write something on my roommate's laptop to pass the time. My laptop had died, I was broke, had no job, and there was nothing to do but write. So, I dig through his external for some music to write to, and find the _Blind Guardian _album _Nightfall in Middle-Earth_. I got six songs into it, hear _The Curse of Fëanor _and immediately proceeded to delete everything I had written to start over. Now I wanted something as fucking awesome as this song was, and as gloriously epic. _

Bringing the Dawn_ is my attempt at that. After nearly nine months of writing, this is what I got._

_Thanks for reading. Thank you also to _BookmarkAhead_ for providing the cover for this story. I think it's absolutely fucking awesome, and so is the rest of his work which is easily found on Deviantart. Another thanks goes to my very begrudgingly faithful editor _ProfessorRude_. The is absolutely no way I could have ever done this without him. Not only because he can tell me the difference between "lay and lie" but simply for a lot of other support. He knew when I needed to take a break from writing this so we could go pretend to be little girls in _TERA.


	2. The Hidden House in the Woods

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Two**

**The Hidden House in the Woods**

_"Strike with the powers of magic stone  
grab your legacy that you behold  
If you can find your destiny  
then you may return back to your home  
... Ride away with your mighty horse  
ride away through the land of storms...  
Unknown are the ways of your journey ahead  
but with strength and courage you can avoid your death"_

_-Warrior's Quest_ by _Ensiferum_

**2**

Eila was right about what she had said. Night had fallen before they arrived, sapping away what little warmth there had been during the day. Perrine had her reindeer skin again, but for what it was worth it felt like it was made out of silk against the cold. As she shivered along, Eila assured her more than once that her home would be nice and warm. She told her to look forward to a nice sauna trip. The word 'sauna' must have come up six times along the way.

Perrine was looking forward to going back to Britannia. It was at the very least temperate there. Britannia was so beautiful with its rolling hills, fields, forests. The lanes, streams, and rocky shores beneath great cliffs. While Suomus had its own beauty, it did not compare to what Perrine had grown up with.

Lit windows somewhere past the trees marked Eila's home. It was a two story building of brick and mortar with a thatch roof. Quite large, it puzzled Perrine how such a place could have been built so far out. It was skillfully constructed, not something a few woodsmen or a simple witch could have built.

As if reading her mind, Eila said in the dark, "I built it with my magic, in case you're wondering. It was quite a spell, if I may boast."

"Impressive," Perrine complimented her, but only half believed it. It was probably just some roadside hostel they fixed up and called their own; Eila and the two she claimed to live with.

The snow thinned a bit and a cobblestone path led up a bald hill to Eila's home. Perrine's boots clicked on the stone and she saw evidence that someone had removed the snow off the path. She assumed Eila had magically whisked it away. She supposed it must have been nice to never have to physically do chores. Perrine had never had a day without chores growing up.

Eila opened the door, and Perrine enjoyed a blast of warmth from within. Boots now clicking on hardwood, she stepped inside and hung up her reindeer skin on a coat hanger beside the door. There were two other coats there. One a bit too small for her, and one that was much larger.

"You're back," A soft voice spoke, like that of a child. Inside this cozy little cottage stood a girl perhaps several years younger than either of them. In the warmth of the cottage, she was in a light dress and barefoot. Her skin was as white as pure snow, and her hair was the gray color of clouds. It was very neat, and barely went past her neck.

Perrine was speechless. This young girl looked like an angel.

"Brought in a stray with me too," Eila teased and introduced the two. "This is Sanya, my closest friend. She's from Orussia and I love her dearly like a little sister. My _actual_ sister is around here somewhere..."

"She's asleep, I think," Sanya answered in that soft, pretty voice of hers. "She helped me prepare supper before heading up to her room without eating to drink alone."

"Sounds like Aurora. Now Perrine, my sister's rough stuff," Eila warned her. "She's got a good heart, but sometimes the whiskey does all the talking for her."

Perrine nodded, hoping any encounter with this Aurora would go well. She then gave a very ladylike bow to Sanya, "I am Perrine H. Clostermann, a noble lady and witch of Gallia who has come to fair Eila here on behalf of the senior witch, Mio Sakamoto."

"You came to see Eila?" Sanya looked surprised.

"Yes. My mentor and close friend Sakamoto believes she can aid us in defeating the Dark Ones for good. As I've witnessed her magic first hand, I believe Sakamoto was wise in her decision."

Sanya smiled a smile that made Perrine's heart ache with how beautiful it was, "That's wonderful!" She exclaimed, "Oh, but you must be freezing cold. Hungry too I bet. Come to the dining room, there's food."

"I'd quite like that, thank you," Perrine bowed once more and followed the two through the house. It felt more spacious inside than it looked outside. It reminded her a bit of her long gone home in Caen. Eila's magic must have really been something... at least when it came to interior decoration. The dining room was quite grand, looking like something out of a London banker's home than a Suomish cottage. Yet the food presented there felt more natural. There was a great pot of stew with wooden bowls at each of the eight chairs around the table.

Perrine wondered if they got guests often.

With dramatic, almost dancing gestures with her hands Eila made three of the bowls float towards the great pot. The ladle began filling each bowl on its own accord. Perrine was actually quite impressed. She sat at the head of the table. Sanya was about to sit next to her, but Eila quickly put herself between them, making sure they were not sitting next to one another.

Perrine felt this rude.

"I'm a witch too," Sanya said in a quiet voice as they ate.

The stew was absolutely delicious. The broth was thick, filling and warm. It was full of meat, vegetables and diced potatoes. Borscht stew was what it was.

"Are you really?" Perrine found herself far more interested in this fair skinned Orussian girl than she did Eila, even with her fancy magic.

"Mhm," Sanya nodded. "I can hear and see things from far away."

"I also taught her to use magic wands!" Eila butted in. "She's probably the only person in the world who isn't a wizard that can use them."

"Yes, that's true..." Sanya looked almost sorrowful for the fact. "...they're so loud and dangerous though."

Eila tried to give Sanya an encouraging smile, but it looked a little hokey. Perrine was focusing more on her food than being part of the conversation. It was the first hot meal she had in roughly a week. It had been bread and porridge at inns, and travel rations in between. It was like all her energy was returning without her even realizing how exhausted she had been. It didn't seem like this Sanya was much of a fighter though, which was slightly disappointing. The more fighters the better, but she hadn't left to go build an army.

Sanya changed the subject, her voice turning much more pleasant, "So, Eila, are you going to go with Perrine?"

"Probably not," Eila answered with a shrug. She didn't seem hungry. Not a bite had been eaten, and she was playing with her food. "Doesn't really seem like something I should do."

"W-Why not?"

"Because of so many things. What's this Sakamoto's plan? What can I even do? I'm not a warrior. Plus, I'm not going to leave you here by yourself or with my sister."

Perrine finally spoke up, more in defense of Sakamoto than anything, "Mio Sakamoto is the wisest woman in all of Europe! If anyone can make a plan to stop Neuroin, it's her! Not to mention, a very prolific duchess and powerful warrior, _Lady Minna-dietlinde Wilke, _is funding us. We already have a keep grander than anything you've ever seen! The two of them have years of experience fighting this enemy. Sakamoto has raised me and trained me and I can assure you she would not try to organize this if she were sure if-"

"I get it!" Eila cut her off. "You really love your step-mom, or whoever this woman is to you and heed her every word. What if she isn't that smart? What if she's improvising?"

"How could you know that!?" Perrine demanded. "You don't know a thing about her!"

Beneath the table, Arina the Fox whimpered at the yelling.

Sanya put her hands on Eila's arms, "But Eila! They need you! How can you turn these people down!? Have you forgotten what the Dark Ones d-"

"I know _damn_ well what they did!" Eila barked, pulling her arms away from Sanya. "Which is precisely the reason I'm _not_ going with this Gallian. You think Sakamoto and Wilke here are the first to try to form some company or fellowship and defeat Neuroin!? He sits on a throne made from the skeletons of witches he's killed. He makes it a sport! Killing witches is his past time! I'm not going to end up like the rest of my family."

Sanya stood up and shouted in a weak voice, "Y-You're a coward, Eila!"

Eila slammed her fists on the table. Around her, several jets of fire exploded from nothing, blasting the three of them with heat. Sanya gave a frightened yell and bounded out of the room in tears with Arina at her heels. Eila looked like she was fuming with anger.

"Eleven," Perrine said, keeping a straight face at Eila, but she was disgusted.

"What!?"

"There's eleven of us!" Perrine's gloved hands made fists on her lap. "At least that's what we're trying to gather. Veterans, powerful witches, ones who've given everything to fight the Dark Ones. Some of them don't have homes to even fight for! Sanya, your dearest friend is from Orussia? What home does she have to go back to now!? Isn't that worth fighting for?"

"You don't know a _thing_ about either of us!" Eila shouted to Perrine's face. Her eyes looked like they were blazing with white fire. "You don't know how many Suoms and Swedes marched off to Orussia to die in Moscow. Just because they threw off the occupation doesn't mean they didn't suffer! Maybe I haven't bled for the Dark Ones, but that doesn't mean I don't know what it's like to suffer to them. The rest of Europe sees us Soums as expendable commodities. No more of that!"

Perrine stood up and found herself jabbing Eila's chest with her finger as she growled at her, "Then – fight – back!"

Eila shoved her back, "It's hopeless you snobby little four-eyes! Aren't you from Gallia? You've seen what the Dark Ones can do. You know it's not a fight we're going to win. Eleven of us? We need eleven thousand!"

The Gallian witch flinched, hard. She saw it again for a moment. Her hometown burning to an unstoppable force. What if Eila was right? Perrine saw how the Dark Ones swept in unopposed, killing all they saw. Behind them were Neuroin's human soldiers; the Blackguards. They joined the fight, and then began dragging others off to slavery or to serve as soldiers to Neuroin. Her mother had been a witch, and what good had she done? What was the point in even fighting?

Perrine fell back into her chair and yanked her gloves off to hold her head with her bare hands. Eila was looking down at her, still fuming. Perrine felt like she was drowning in despair. It was like coming to terms with the fact the entire world was going to fall to ruins.

"_No_."

Somewhere in her memories, she remembered Sakamoto's voice.

_"Every day, Perrine..._" She remembered walking in London with Sakamoto when they had heard someone claiming the fight was fruitless, just as Eila was now. Perrine stood up again, she stood up and spoke boldly to Eila. She recited the words Sakamoto had said that day, feeling like she was speaking alongside her mentor.

"Every day... There's witches out fighting in Karlsland, Afrika, Orussia, and every day they're winning battles. They're thinning the horde, and keeping places like this safe. When you say things like how the war is hopeless, you're speaking down to all of those witches who have died, and will die to keep us safe. You're telling them to just give up and die!"

It was not Eila who replied, but a new voice. It was deeper, with much more of an edge than Eila's voice. At the entrance to the dining room was a taller woman, with hair closer to Sanya's than Eila's. Still, she looked the part of Eila's sister, the Aurora Perrine had heard about. She was wearing a tunic above her skirt that showed off arms that were tight with muscle and plenty of scars. It looked like a punch from her could crack a skull.

"You know, she's right," Aurora said. At her side was Sanya, sniffling and clinging on to her. Arina was hiding behind her leg. "I mean, shit, I only fought in Orussia for five years. What was the point of that? Come on Eila, tell me, what was the fucking point!?"

Perrine blinked, too astounding by her vulgarity to speak. This girl spoke like a sailor.

Eila looked away, and didn't seem to have an answer.

Aurora sat down and poured herself a bowl by hand. Sanya walked around the table to Eila again. The older Juutilainen nodded at Perrine, "Hey. You're trying to get a big group together to take out Neuroin? Count me in."

"You can't!" Eila blurted out. "Aurora, the Dark Ones would mince you."

That was right, Aurora looked too old to shield her weapons. She was definitely past that threshold, and her magic was now just a shadow.

Aurora shrugged, digging into the stew. She spoke with her mouth full, "Don't matter. I can take a hit."

Sanya spoke in a pleading voice, "Aurora, please don't say such things. This is about Eila, not us."

"It's about me now too., Aurora claimed. "You get my sister involved, you get me involved."

"Then..." Sanya took a deep breath. She then boldly exclaimed, "Let me go too! I'm a witch as well, and with my wand I won't get in the way! None in all of Europe can stand night watch as well as I. I can see things long before others can, and dislike the sun to begin with."

Aurora laughed, "There we go! That makes two! Looks like we don't need stupid Eila then. How's that sounds, Gallian? Two for the price of one?"

"I..." Perrine didn't know what to say. Sakamoto had requested Eila by name. She wanted a wizard, not a warrior who couldn't fight the Dark Ones and a young night owl.

Eila sat there silently, gritting her teeth. Suddenly she grabbed Sanya's hand, holding it tight, "Fine! If Sanya's going, then I have no choice. My magic will keep her safe, no matter what!"

Perrine felt herself smiling, finally, "Thank you for the food, Sanya, Aurora."

"Hey, no problem. You're our guest," Aurora told her. Sanya nodded in support.

Perrine continued, "Trust me, I know Sakamoto better than anyone. She wouldn't send me out here if she didn't know whether or not this was going to work. Now, she sent me this letter that will guide us to gather another pair of witches. The first of three pairs. We'll have to go through occupied Karlsland though..."

The table was silent. Karlsland was a veritable warzone. Marching from Gallia, the Dark Ones had been laying siege against Karlsland for ten years since Gallia had fallen. Karlsland witches were the strongest in all of the world, and kept the Dark Ones from pushing very far, but at the cost of many lives. Aside from Gallia, they would be passing through arguably the darkest, most dangerous realms in Europe.

"What does that note say about these witches?" Eila asked.

Perrine retrieved Sakamoto's letter and read the corresponding passage aloud,  
"_The next two witches are back in Britannia. You'll know one of them. My most recent student Yoshika Miyafuji is an accomplished healer. We won't be able to do this without her. With her will be Lynette Bishop, who is a witch quite talented with an English longbow."_

Perrine suddenly pulsed with anger.

Yoshika Miyafuji. Perrine had forgotten about that little raccoon dog from Fuso that was always bumbling about causing problems. She had half a mind to skip these two and head straight for Karlsland for the two knight-witches. But she knew Sakamoto would never allow that, and Perrine trusted her judgment as Sakamoto had trusted her in this task. She was right, they needed someone whose magic could heal wounds. This wasn't negotiable. Just why did it have to be this little brat who thought she could be so friendly with Sakamoto? Perrine had known her for so many years and wasn't as informal as Miyafuji was with her.

Miyafuji had come from Fuso the previous year in the summer for training as a witch. Sakamoto had taken her in, and Perrine had been practically invisible with her there. The little brat had a lot of skill with her magic, and a lot of raw natural power. It frustrated Perrine because she didn't seem to appreciate any of it, or work hard to improve it. Always sleeping in and bumbling about carelessly... why Sakamoto had accepted someone with so little discipline was just beyond her. If Miyafuji wasn't willing to work hard, why should Perrine be willing to work with her? She could find no answer to that, and what ever came to the little Fuson raccoon dog, it was probably deserved.

"Is... something wrong?" Sanya asked. Perrine had been gritting her teeth.

"Oh, nothing," Perrine lied, shaking those negative thoughts from her head. "H-How about that sauna?"

She had said that without thinking to misdirect the conversation.

**3**

Perrine was not quite prepared for just how this sauna experience turned out to be. Suoms were interesting people compared to the Gallians, Britannians and most of all the Fuso witch she had grown up with. They were strangely modest, yet very open at the same. Never had this been clearer than as the four of them strut naked towards the little shack-like structure that was the sauna. As all of them marched forward naked, not of one of them seemed interested or concerned with each others bodies. This was both comforting, and somehow surreal to Perrine. She did not know how to feel about it.

Perrine had herself covered with her towel, and was more focused on how dreadfully cold it was, and how all feeling in her bare feet was gone. Eila had her towel slung over her shoulder, and wasn't even shivering as fierce cold wind whipped her naked body. Aurora and Sanya weren't as resistant to the elements. The former was muttering something like, "Fuckin' freezin' my ass off..." and Perrine noticed all the faded scars across the senior witch's body. She looked like she had seen far more battles than Sakamoto. She was certainly worthy as respect as a veteran, if nothing else.

Suddenly, Aurora shouted, "_Snowball fight!_" She scooped up a handful of snow and threw it at her sister. It exploded on impact and made Eila yelp in surprise.

"Oh you asked for it!" Eila laughed, and used her magic to raise up a snowball and fire it at her sister like an arrow from a bow. Aurora jumped away, landing in the snow, and avoiding the projectile.

Perrine stood there, unable to do much more than blink in surprise. Aurora had just _flopped _into the snow. Naked. Were Suoms this crazy in general, or was it just these sisters? Perrine had no idea.

She didn't have time to think on it before a clump of snow lightly hit her shoulder. Perrine looked over to see Sanya with a guilty, but wholly adorable grin on her face.

"Well, if that's how you want to play it..." Perrine tried to match that smile, but it came out lame. She just couldn't match Sanya's cuteness under any circumstance. Hands burning with cold and nearly numb, she made her own makeshift snowball to return fire on the Orussian. She raised her arm to throw it but was disarmed as three snowballs hit her hard. They knocked her towel off and sent her reeling. This was now a lot less fun as she realized how awfully cold it was.

Dazed and a little pained for the chill, she saw Eila with a halo of spinning snowballs around her. More were appearing as her magic conjured others from the endless supply of snow around her. Three more shot from her and hit her sister as she was trying to get up.

"Cheater! Cheater!" Aurora cried before being muffled by a snowball to the face. Perrine yelped as she was hit again. These were being fired fast and hard. Eila was laughing an evil laugh until she herself took a snowball to the face. Sanya was standing there with a bit of a pout on her face.

"You can't cheat Eila! That's not fair to the others."

"I'm not cheating," Eila sent Perrine scrambling into the snow while dodging snowballs all the way. The wizard moved her head to gracefully dodge a rather large one being thrown by Aurora. It was almost like she had known it was being thrown before it even left Aurora's hand.

Eila's sister broke into a sprint for the sauna and shouted, "In here!"

Dodging Eila's icy barrage, the three of them scrambled through the wooden door into the sauna. It was dark and hardly any warmer inside since the coals hadn't been lit yet.

"Wizards..." Perrine muttered as they were finally safe, "...I hate wizards. Maybe I had not before, but I certainly do now."

"Can't let her beat us," Aurora decided. "We need a plan. Hmm, Four-eyes. You hold her down and I'll punch!"

Sanya looked mortified and Perrine frowned at this nickname.

"I will certainly not do that!" the Gallian huffed, feeling the cold set on much worse again as her adrenaline was wearing off. "I will also not be beaten by some naked Suom. I was born of a noble family of Gallia; daughter of a noble knight and skilled and proud witch. Losing would bring same to my family!"

"What's wrong with naked Suoms?" Aurora pouted.

"Do you have a plan?" Sanya asked.

Perrine thought for a moment before coming up with something, "Yes. Why yes I do! It's risky though, but we're going to fight magic with magic. Not enough to hurt Eila, oh no, as I would feel awful were that to happen. Sakamoto has taught me well to control my magic. I hate to ask this of you, Sanya, but something tells me Eila doesn't want to hit you."

Aurora gave a quick laugh, "That's right! She never goes for Sanya in snowball fights!"

Perrine made a triumphant fist, "Perfect. Sanya, would have the honor of spearheading our attack. All we need is a simple rouse. Tell her you're defecting, make her let her guard down and I'll come in."

"What do I do?" Aurora asked.

"Get this sauna started. I'm freezing." Perrine answered.

"Alright, on it!" Aurora seemed proud of her charged task.

Sanya gave a curt, brave nod. "O-Okay! I'll do my best."

Father almighty in Heaven she was the cutest thing Perrine ever did see.

The Orussian slowly opened the door. In a meek, almost frightened voice she called out, "E-Eila! It's me! I w-wanna be on your side!"

It was hard to hear what Eila was saying amidst her cheers and happiness over this turn of events. Perrine looked at Aurora and made a 'is she crazy?' gesture with her fingers. Aurora shrugged and was on her knees trying to light the wood stove in the corner of the sauna.

Perrine was crouched behind the door, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. As she watched Aurora, she couldn't help but ask, "Whats with you Suoms and saunas? When I was in Turko I must have seen one outside every single building. Are they that great?"

Aurora looked at her like she was crazy, "What do you mean what's with us and saunas? Four-eyes, I was _born_ in a sauna. Eila was born in a sauna. Our mother and father were born in a sauna. Each of their mother and fathers were born in one, and honestly dying one doesn't sound so bad either. And trust me, I've come close to dying more than a few times... and each times I wished I was in a sauna; or drunk. Mostly the latter, really. Both would be the best actually."

Perrine wasn't sure about that but didn't push the issue further. She still hated everything about them, but felt like it was polite to indulge herself as a guest in this strange part of the local culture. Feeling like now was the perfect time to strike, she shoved open the door.

Following Sakamoto's training, she dove into a headlong roll and landed on her feet. This maneuver was a lot better in Britannia where it wasn't freezing cold, and usually involved her wearing clothes. She looked over at a very surprised Eila and shouted out, "_Tonnerre!_"

She mustered up about the weakest form of the spell that she possibly could. At full power, her magic would have probably killed everyone there and set the sauna ablaze. As it was now, a tiny little zap of electricity hit Eila. If push came to shove, she could burn the sauna later.

The Suom shivered in place, stunned. She looked like she was trying to speak, but was unable to. Slowly, she fell on her back into the snow with a great _whump!_ All the snowballs orbiting her fell on her face.

"Eila?" Sanya worriedly looked down at her friend.

Perrine gingerly stepped over. There was a perfect Eila-shaped indent in the snowbank in which she had fallen. It was hard to see her in the dark. From the Eila-shaped hole came the sound of her laugh, and a shaky hand was risen.

"N-Nice shot..." She simultaneously laughed and groaned as she attempted to climb out of the snow. Sanya helped her out, brushing snow off and voicing worries how they were all going to catch a cold.

Then, Perrine found herself doing something quite unexpected. She was laughing along with Eila too! Sanya wasn't quite falling in line with the two, but she definitely offered a very cute and heartwarming smile. Shivering, the three of them quickly skipped to the sauna where it was beginning to really warm up.

**4**

After the sauna, they sat around inside around a large, cozy fireplace. Perrine was in her clothes again, and bundled up tightly in heavy blankets with a mug of warm tea in her hands. The sauna had done its dirty work, and her hair was now frizzed and curled. The two lightning spells in one day had done nothing to help her blonde locks either. She was not happy about this one bit.

Sanya and Aurora turned in early, and Eila left for a short while and returned with a deck of tarot cards.  
"Here," she said to Perrine, "let's read your fortune."

"My fortune?" Perrine wasn't convinced at all. "Thank you but no thank you, I'd rather go to bed."

"Oh don't be like that," Eila sat across from her and laid six cards out in a straight line. "I'll keep it simple with the six card spread here." She drew a single card from the line and smiled.

Despite how much she told herself she didn't believe in any of this, Perrine was interested now. "What is it?" She asked.

"It's good!" The fortune teller exclaimed, and showed her the card. It was The Star, which showed a naked blonde woman before an open treasure chest. Perrine wrinkled her nose in discomfort at the pagan imagery. Eila set the card down aside and explained, "It means that if you keep hope and good faith, things will turn out alright!"

"Lovely." Perrine faked a smile. She was sure Eila was just making this up. That was vague enough to apply to just about anyone.

Eila drew a second card, seemingly at random. It was The Sun, showing a man with a sun-like crown holding a harp in one hand and bow in the other, "This says what you want most of all is a break from your struggles. Maybe a nice vacation in the sun with someone special?"

Perrine instantly thought of Sakamoto on the beaches of Britannia. Her cheeks flushed red and her heart fluttered. She hadn't seen Sakamoto in half a year. That was precisely what she wanted but that was just a guess on Eila's part. Eila knew Perrine was fond of Sakamoto and went with that or something close. What she truly wanted most of all was not just a break, but for Sakamoto to just pat her head and tell Perrine she was proud of her.

The wizard smiled at her, almost triumphantly and said, "Here's where it gets fun..." She drew The Priestess, a card with a woman with a white dress on it, "This represents your fears. Hmm, you're not so sure about something in your life. Make sure you don't make any decisions or take actions until you've resolved this fear. You should know what it is."

The Gallian nodded, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. This was utter lunacy. How much more vague could Eila possibly be? Everyone was afraid of something. Like how Perrine wasn't sure if she could defeat the Dark Ones in battle for she had never directly faced them. The card and Eila's words had nothing to do with that though. They also had nothing to do with her fears about whether or not she could convince the witches she was to find to join their cause. Or her fears about whether or not she could be a leader and take charge over these witches without Sakamoto to help her. She was so used to being told what to do, and making her decisions was difficult for her.

The fourth card was drawn, The Moon. It showed the strange image of a woman that looked to have three faces, and before her was a dog with three heads.

"The Moon is another good one!" Eila smiled. "Keep down the path, Perrine, and you'll be fine. Just remember The Priestess, and don't be too rash."

Next was the fifth card, The Lovers. Eila thought hard on that one, "Hmm, this symbolizes what works against you the most. It's a strange card to draw for this. You'll need courage to make a tough decision somewhere along the line. Hmm, you have a very strong sense of duty, don't you?"

"Of course I do! Sakamoto put me in charge of this very important mission!"

"Well the choice between duty and happiness can be hard. I hope you know what to do."

"I'm not very good at thinking on my feet, truth be told," Perrine admitted. "But I'm sure after all the guidance and training I received, I would know just what to do!"

Eila flinched at her outburst and reached for the final card. She smiled at this last one, but didn't show Perrine its face. "How fitting a witch's fortune would be The Magician. This is the outcome to your journey, Perrine, and it's a good outcome! Your full potential will be fully realized, and you'll have to show everyone what you're made of! If you can think on your feet, then this is a great omen!"

Perrine found herself standing up and shaking her head. "Honestly it sounds like you made this all up as you went. Everything there was really vague and didn't help me at all. I appreciate you taking the time to do this, but I think I will just continue on as I have been doing."

The wizard shrugged and began collecting her cards. "Hey, I wasn't asking you to believe in them. Do what you want with my advice. I'm going to bed though. Today's been a long day..."

Perrine sighed through her nose and bid Eila a good night. She thanked her for allowing her to stay there and found her way to the guest room. She locked the door, stripped down completely naked and crawled into a very warm and comfortable bed.

She stared at the ceiling for a very long time. One of those cards was very right. She longed to see Sakamoto very badly. A tear slipped down her cheek as her heart ached with loneliness and anxiety. Everything was so intimidating, overwhelming, and confusing with her mentor gone. Mio Sakamoto always knew just what to do, what to say, how to fix any problem. Perrine was just bumbling along desperately trying to follow the vague instructions of a letter left to her. It was so stressful have no council from the woman whose wisdom surpassed all others. At the same time, Perrine understood this was also another trial in her training. She needed to learn to think and act on her own, no matter how difficult it was.

Her mind drifted back to warmer times, happier moments. She thought back to the praise she received when she mastered her family's _Tonnerre_ spell. She thought back to Mio Sakamoto boasting to others about how Perrine was the perfect little pupil.

_"Hard working, polite, respectful, I couldn't quite ask for more."_

This was why Perrine couldn't fail in her mission. She wouldn't let her mentor down for anything short of death!

Sakamoto's words rang in her head again,  
_"Never come into a fight lightly, Perrine. Never show fear, and if you can, do not feel it either. Yet be prepared to fight every battle like it's your last. Make sure you've let go of your demons before you raise your sword to fight. Never let the woes of your heart weaken your strike."_

What demons and woes did Perrine have? That was a simple question.

She could see it so perfectly, like she was reliving that moment. Everything was ablaze in destructive fire. From it walked an impossibly tall man who was wreathed in shadows. No part of him was more than a black blur, except for the broad blade of pure flame in his hand.

Perrine saw it again. Her mother raising her rapier, moving forward to fight her last fight. Perrine had been silent, but she wanted so badly to go back to that moment to scream at her mother to run. It wasn't a fight she could win.

Suddenly the room felt too hot. She tossed the sheets and blankets aside and lied there panting for air. Even then it felt too warm. She practically fell off the bed of the guest room and crawled to where her rapier was in its sheath on the table. Perrine hugged it close to her naked form. It was about the only connection she had with her dead mother.

It was just a piece of lifeless steel to most, but to Perrine it was her only surviving family member.

**To Be Continued**

_**Author's Notes/Commentary**__: The song _Odda Mailbmi_ by _Shaman_ and the accompanying music video are what inspired much of Eila's character. It's very much worth watching and listening to. There's a neat folky feel to it, and it kind of makes me sad I really couldn't do much more in this story with this kind of stuff. _

_I really got into European folklore from a whole host of folk metal bands who sing this kind of stuff. _Finntroll, Metsatöll, Crimfall, Moonsorrow, Tyr, _and of course _Korpiklaani_. As much as I wanted Perrine and Eila to go on neat folk-inpsired adventures in Suomus I realized this would end up being just like my __other__ story _Chooser of the Slain_ where I end up with 25 chapters where the main plot has barely moved. Gotta keep it concise and moving. _


	3. Fire Over Seas

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Three**

**Fire Over Seas**

"_Dripping with sweat a new day dawn on  
The ropes cut flesh, as they've done in times foregone  
I see my breath, my hands are going numb  
Far from home we have come_

_An endless trail in front my eyes_  
_A swift take off, had no time for goodbyes_  
_What will we find and what was left behind_  
_There's no return, get it off your mind_

-_A Portage to the Unknown_ by _Turisas_

**5**

Perrine wondered what a five day march back to Turku with these three would be like. The answer was very, very boring. Out of the four, the only duties given while travelling were presented to Aurora and Sanya. Aurora shouldered everything they were taking with them. Food, tents, blankets, and other supplies. Like an ox, she bore it effortlessly. Among her things was a poleaxe. Its large head was covered with dark leather. Sanya's duty was night watch while they slept. The wilderness was dangerous even without the chance of encountering Dark Ones. Bandits, trolls, wolves; there was plenty to be afraid of as it stood. During the day Sanya was carried by Aurora in her strong arms. Eila seemed none too happy about this. Perrine wasn't entirely sure since Eila was content to never speak a word of English. She would chatter in Suomish with Aurora from time to time, disappear an hour with Sanya during the beginning of her night shift, then go to sleep.

Something told Perrine these three moved a lot. It pained her just to leave Castle Folkestone in Britannia, as she was so fond of and familiar with it. Either Eila really didn't care about her home, or she was good at hiding it because she didn't seem at all bothered about leaving her home behind. Her grievances were lying plainly elsewhere.

Perrine knew Eila wasn't enjoying this at all. Aurora seemed a bit more optimistic. She talked with Perrine here and there about light subjects. They went back and forth about Suomus and Britannia; talking about what each place was like in the summer (it was early February now), talking about foods, culture, history. Perrine told Aurora about London, the countryside, and the people. Aurora told her all about saunas, food, local liquor and stories of how the iron made into weapons was originally never meant to harm another human when the first smith, Ilmarinen first gathered it from the swamplands of Suomus, but it was cursed and Perrine started nodding off as Aurora rambled on about some bearded man riding a blue moose and being shot with a crossbow bolt.

She also found it a bit strange that Ilmarinen found the first iron in swamplands. She was (mostly) sure that iron came from mountains.

They reached Turku in good time, and were treated to a nice rest at a comfortable inn near the wharfs. Perrine had left Britannia with a good bit of Byzantine gold, which she found was much easier to buy things with than the Britannian pound.

The ship they would take was from Turku to Copenhagen. They were set to leave Monday, a four day wait as the vessel, _Ikutursa_, was being restocked for the voyage. For once Perrine was allowed a bit of leisure. Good meals, a comfortable room, and a beautiful city and success in her journey so far gave her little to complain about. Saturday was almost officially known as 'sauna day,' so Perrine obliged the local customs and spent several hours of the day relaxing with her companions.

"I don't ever want to leave..." Aurora gave a relaxed moan in their cozy little sauna. She had a bottle of wine beside her, and had been drinking near nonstop since they arrived in Turku. "It's so cold out there. Let's just stay in here until we die."

"Oh don't complain," Eila finally spoke English. "It's not bad out there at all. Sanya and I wear less than you and we're fine."

Sanya spoke up, "That's because you use your magic to keep us warm, Eila."

Eila blushed furiously and defensively waved her hands, "S-Sanya, don't just go blabbing about that!"

Perrine found herself both chuckling and smirking, "Oh, you little charlatan. I knew there had to be a secret."

"Eila uses magic for everything," Aurora told Perrine with a shake of her head. "I think she uses magic to stay thin, or she'd be fat from how lazy she is!"

"Hey, I walk!" Eila exclaimed. "That's more than Mom did! She used a broomstick to get around, remember?"

"'Course I remember," Aurora took another swig of wine. "Broomsticks are just like familiars though. Stupid relics from a bygone age. Flying is just for lazy people."

"Arina isn't a stupid relic," Eila pouted. Right now, the fox was off chasing mice or something.

That reminded Perrine of something. She had been wondering about the Juutilainen parents; and Sanya's as well. She decided to voice her curiosity as carefully as she could. There were a lot of orphans in Europe, and she knew she herself hated people asking about her own parents.

"Forgive me if this is a sore subject. But... what is the story of your parents? I pray they're okay."

"Sore subject," Eila confirmed with a nod of her head. "We don't see them much with all this fighting."

"That's so sad..." Perrine said.

Aurora took another big swig of wine, "Oh get off it!" She laughed drunkenly. "It ain't that bad, we got all the freedom in the world! Eventually we'll see each other again, so we're going to enjoy the time apart while we have it."

"That's right," Sanya agreed, looking distant.

"Mhm," Perrine whispered and fidgeted with the towel on her lap. "There are a lot of orphans."

Two days passed and Monday came around. Perrine hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Weeks aboard a ship in the Northern Sea in February and March to Copenhagen was right around the corner. Even if the trip here had gone smoothly, she was still worried. Storms of ice weren't unheard of, and they could tear a ship to pieces. She prayed that night for a safe trip, and for Eila's magic to help them out of any jams they encounter.

"Don't worry," Eila told Perrine as she nervously paced up and down wharf back and forth. "Suomish sailors are second to none. There's no way anything they couldn't handle would happen."

"Unless we get attacked by Dark Ones," Aurora so kindly added in. For some reason she was covered and dirt and holding a glass of muddy water. "_However_, if one of us... someone _Gallian_ were to drink this fine concoction here, I'm sure the trip would go smoothly."

Eila smacked the glass out of her hand, making it shatter in a muddy heap on the ground, "Stop trying to make deals with the devil!" She scolded her sister.

Perrine wasn't sure what was going on and didn't say much more than, "Err, wait, what?"

By the time they boarded the trade-cog for Copenhagen, Perrine was getting a little sick of Suomish culture. The _Ikutursa_ was a crowded, cargo-filled vessel filled with goods to trade with northern Karlsland and the nordic region of Baltland. Like many trade ships, the crew was a mix of all races, origins, and walks of life. Suoms, Orussians, Britannians, and even a few souls from Romangan lands and eastern Slavic kingdoms.

They took sail after hours of prep work, moving to head southwest to Denmark. Perrine situated herself at the front of ship as the remaining daylight hours burned out one by one. The seas were rough and windy, and she was having trouble keeping down what little she had eaten that day. The wind kept trying to steal her hat as well. Her face went red as she listened to sailors chuckling and making comments about her not quite having her sea legs yet. It had been just like this on the trip to Suomus.

Sanya was asleep below deck, with Eila keeping her company. The wizard told Perrine she didn't trust seafaring types, and was keeping a close watch on her friend.

Aurora on the other hand was used to being on the sea. She told Perrine that during her prime as a witch, she spent many months out in open water battling off Dark Ones with witches from Karlsland. She got along with the crew just fine, helping out where she could. Together she and the other workers sang songs in Suomish in generally off-key, harsh and messy voices.

A week had passed, and Perrine was more or less used to the constant rocking of the boat. Familiarization was not the same as comfort by any means, and she was still counting the hours until they reached Copenhagen. Copenhagen meant some time on shore, and possibly a more civilized crew with people she could hold a conversation with until they reached London.

Aboard the _Ikutursa_, Eila still was talking little to Perrine. She was bitter about leaving her homeland, but during one evening Sanya assured Perrine she was warming up the idea of taking the fight to Neuroin. Aurora was a lot more open about her eagerness to get back into action. Perrine had no idea just how Aurora planned to fight them, being that she was somewhere in her twenties. Even Sakamoto had lost most of her magic years before Aurora did, and in her prime she had been one of the most powerful witches alive. Past thirty years old now Sakamoto still had spark of magic in her, but even she couldn't face Neuroin's Dark Ones. If one of his Blackguards faced her, that was a different story.

_I have four years..._ Perrine thought as she lazily gazed into the cold, churning sea. _Four years and my own magic will start to fade away. I'm nowhere near as powerful as she was, I won't keep any of it, will I? Why did she make me wait so long before deciding I was strong enough to fight? I've seen Witches only twelve years old hold their own!_

Perrine hung her head. She wanted to see her mentor again, ask her so many questions. She looked up towards the sun. Squinting, she saw a flock of dark birds against it. She thought nothing of it for a few seconds than realized.

They were in the middle of the sea. Blackbirds were not seabirds.

"Got your sword there?" A voice from behind made her jump.

She scrambled around to see Aurora standing there with pale, crossed arms. Perrine nodded, "O-Of course! It never leaves my side!"

"Good. Those ain't birds."

Perrine turned back around and squinted her eyes to the distance. Obscured black dots were moving against the sun's glare. There were a lot of them. Dread swelled inside her. Behind the two of them, the crew of the ship had stopped what they were doing and were looking in the same direction.

Aurora turned to the frightened looking sailors and confidently shouted out, "_Olemme noitia!_" She looked back over her shoulder to Perrine and added, "Go get my sister and Sanya. I'll try to manage things up here. You know, get everyone down below deck."

"Got it!" Perrine, stumbling a bit on the rocking ship, hurried to get below. She had to push her way past panicky sailors. Adrenaline was fighting back the dread she was feeling. Aurora was a veteran, Eila was a wizard, and she was trained personally by Sakamoto. Perrine told herself they had nothing to worry about.

_They're called skirmishers_, Sakamoto's voice said in her head. _Alone, any witch can dispatch them easily. However, the play the number's game. Minna and our companions have been outnumbered forty to one against them and hardly suffered a scratch._

She wondered what provoked the Dark Ones there to hunt them personally. As far as she knew, Dark Ones rarely if ever plagued ships in this sea. The bulk of their forces were either harassing Karlsland's borders or the English Channel. It looked like there had been at least a hundred gliding across the sky – That was a force with a mission.

Perrine opened the door to itty-bitty cabin Eila and Sanya were staying in. Sanya was curled up and asleep in a small bed that was hardly large enough for her tiny frame. Eila lounging on a hammock right beside it. She glared daggers at Perrine and sneered, "Hello, Ms. Rude, let's try that again. How about closing the door and knocking this time?"

"Oh get off it!" Perrine snapped at her, making Sanya stir in her sleep. Eila looked even angrier. Perrine had no time for this, "Dark Ones are flying at us. Get dressed and get up to the deck!"

"Dark Ones? On this sea?" Eila sat up, but didn't look convinced. "Have you actually ever _seen_ Dark Ones? How do you know it wasn't just some gulls or-"

"I've seen Dark Ones!" Perrine cut her off with a yell, and stomped her booted foot. "Aurora was the one who confirmed it. Now are you going to help us out or keep pouting about not being in Suomus? If you are, just be happy you have a homeland to pout about!"

Eila growled at Perrine through her teeth, then glared over at Sanya who was now sitting up and wiping sleep form her eyes. The Suom gave in with a sigh, "Give us five."

Perrine nodded, and hastily made her way back topside. Once again, she had to fight through a crowd of people to do so. Aurora and a few others were moving crates on deck to the side so they actually had room to fight. Perrine went to help, but found quickly her small frame only had her getting in the way.

Instead she drew her rapier and stood near the helm, watching the enemy slowly move towards them. They were a black blur that were now blotting out the sun. She could see the red shimmer of their weapons against the vaguely humanoid shapes. She really hoped Eila had a spell for this, because she'd sooner keel from exhaustion fighting that many than actually falling to their weapons.

Aurora ushered the rest below deck and called out to Perrine, "I'll be up again in a moment. Just need to get my weapon!"

Perrine nodded back at her, then had her eyes to the sky again. The Dark Ones weren't particularly fast, probably slower than the ship. She wondered what kind of intelligence dictated their actions that allowed for such a precise interception. How did they know four witches were aboard? Perrine didn't know, but was not going to let them succeed in their mission. Before long, the other three witches were at her side. In Sanya's hand was a conductor's baton. Perrine realized it was one of those wands Eila had mentioned during their first night together. In Aurora's hands was something absolutely astounding. That poleaxe she had been carrying about now had its head free. It was black with a glowing red edge.

"Where in God's holy name did you get that thing!?" Perrine gasped. It was the weapon of one of Neuroin's human soldiers; the Blackguards. From what Perrine knew, their weapons were made of fire usually, but this one looked like it was made of the very stuff the Dark Ones were.

"Moscow," She answered, eyes focused on the enemy. "Broke my old axe on the head of the gerenal leading the Dark Ones there. Took his instead. It's name is _Planet Smasher_... like it?"

"Aurora, put that horrible thing down this instant!" Perrine commanded. "It's... it's not safe at all!"

Eila replied before her sister could, "Don't worry. For some reason Aurora can use it just fine When I pick it up, it just burns my hands. I still think _Planet Smasher _is a really dumb name. How'd you even come up with it?"

Aurora shrugged, "I dunno, it's just its name. Know what I mean?"

"No," Eila replied.

"You're both absolutely mad," Perrine shook her head. Another worrying thought crossed her mind, "Should Sanya be up here either? She doesn't have a weapon."

"Doesn't have a weapon!?" Eila laughed. "Sanya is ace for this battle. Just wait for the Dark Ones to get a bit closer. She'll show you!"

Sanya gave a sleepy yawn and teetered in place.

Eila raised her own hands, ready to use her magic. "Alright Sanya, let's show them our stuff. Anything that gets past our killzone is out of our control. It's up to you two."

Aurora and Perrine replied simultaneous, "Right!'

The wizard narrowed her eyes on the advancing enemy. They were much easier to see clearly now.

"Ten..." She began. They were humanoid in shape,

"Nine..." with bodies that were completely covered in dark, nearly black armor,

"Eight..." a single red slit marked their 'eyes',

"Seven..." their bodies were crisscrossed with barely visible, faintly glowing blue lines,

"Six..." in their hands were swords of pure red, insubstantial material that glowed like fire,

"Five..." a witch could use her magic to shield her weapon (or actual shield) to stop their weapons,

"Four..." because the red weapons of the Dark Ones could cut through any steel,

"Three..." they flew towards the ship without wings,

"Two..."

"One..."

Sanya swished her wand like she was conducting a song at 4/4 time. Suddenly, amidst the ranks of the Dark Ones great balls of fire exploded, obliterating ten at a time. Waves of heat rippled through Perrine's hair, and her eyes watered as she watched the destruction. Even if the brightness stung her eyes, she couldn't look away for anything. Up to that point Sanya had just been a cute, goodhearted little Orussian. Now she was this incredible force of destruction against the Dark Ones.

There was more. Eila's hands waved in sync with Sanya's powerful wand swishing. From her fingertips came a rush of rippling energy aimed towards Sanya's fireballs. When the two forces met, the explosions seemed to double in size. It took Perrine a moment to understand what Eila was doing, but she soon realized her spell was making Sanya's wand stronger. The Dark Ones were being destroyed by the dozens. Their bodies shattered with sounds like bell chimes, and their forms fell into the sea in great glowing white shards.

"I'm out." Sanya whispered, swishing her wand uselessly.

"That's the only spell I had prepared for a situation like this." Eila added and held Sanya's hand. The two of them scrambled to the side where Eila cast another spell. A strange shimmering orb of some unknown magical substance surrounded them. She gave Aurora and Perrine a thumbs up, "You two got the rest! Next time give me more warning so I can bring some real spells to the fight!"

Perrine clutched her rapier tightly. Even if the Dark One's numbers had been demolished, they still had quite a fight on their hands. Of them touched down against the deck hard enough to send splinters of wood flying. Its legs simply ended in pointed ends, which it skated across towards Perrine. The glowing sword of red energy lunged at the Gallian.

Training took over. She easily parried the attack and retaliated by plunging her rapier into its chest. The thing shattered like the rest, shards disappearing as they hit the wood below. She wished Sakamoto could have seen her do that. It had been brilliant.

Three more landed, but Aurora's axe collided with one like it had been a ball tossed at a stick. The evil thing shattered, and Aurora laughed and leaped over to the next one to bisect it as well. Around them, the sound of the Dark Ones colliding against wood rang out as they were quickly swarmed. There were maybe thirty left after the destructive barrage of the other two girls, and the rest of the enemy was determined to finish them off.

A small cluster swung their red blades at the magical shell around Eila and Sanya. Sanya clung to Eila, who stuck her tongue out at the enemy uselessly trying to get to them.

Perrine didn't have much time to pay attention to her surroundings. Their slow, clumsy jabs and lunges were nothing compared to the quick, precise strikes from Sakamoto she had learned to block and counter. Keeping her rapier shielded with magic, and light on her feet, she struck down one after another with brutal stabs that could have punctured any knight's armor. It was like a dance almost, the way she fought, and it felt distinctly Gallian.

Nearby, Aurora was laughing as her strange axe cleaved through twos and threes at a time. She was a lot more efficient than Perrine, but lacked all the grace.

"Nothing's better than this, right Gallian!?" Aurora laughed as they ended up back to back. "I missed being a good fight!"

"Honestly, it's not like I'm doing this for fun!" Perrine snobbishly shot back, then drove her rapier through the faceless head of a skirmisher before her. Another went to take its place, and met a similar fate as her rapier drove through what would have been its heart. If they weren't aboard a wooden ship, Perrine felt like she could have destroyed them all with a single spell.

They cleared out the ones surrounding them and went for the stragglers and the latecomers with brutal efficiency. Perrine rapidly felt her adrenaline being replaced with exhaustion and fatigue. Fighting beside her, Aurora was sporting several gashes and lacerations on her arms, face and chest. Perrine was unharmed.

"Look at you." She said as the last one was punctured and the fight was won. "Is there a physician aboard this ship?"

Aurora shrugged, and wiped her bloodied forehead with an equally bloodied arm. Her clothes were torn up and burnt from the red swords of energy. "Don't need one," She replied with slightly labored breath. "It's not a real fight unless you got some scars to show for it."

"What kind of nonsense is that!?" Perrine retorted in disbelief. "Do you actively go searching to get hurt? Your sister was right, you shouldn't be out here fighting if you can't properly sh-"

Her eyes focused on Aurora's hands around the axe she was holding. They were covered in a shimmering black with faint blue lines tracing across the surface.

"Aurora!" Perrine gasped, staggering back. "Your hands!"

The Suom didn't look at all surprised or concerned about this. "Yeah, happens. Stupid thing wants to take me over to be a general like the one whose head I chopped off."

"_And you're okay with this!?_"

She still seemed quite unconcerned, "I can control it. Don't worry about it Gallian. It takes magic. I don't got magic for it to take. Put two and two together. It lets me keep fighting even if I can't shield my weapons, and that's what matters."

Eila and Sanya were approaching them again. The former put her hand on Perrine's shoulder; one of the first kind gesture towards her Perrine could think of. She told her, "You're not the only one who worries, but my sister's fought a score of battles with that thing."

"Aurora should still have her wounds cleaned." Sanya added with her soft voice laden with concern.

"I agree." Perrine was eager to change the subject. "First chance I get to talk to Sakamoto again, I will ask about how safe that thing she's carrying really is."

"Wait." Sanya suddenly said, wrinkling her nose slightly, "Wait, everyone, wait! There's more!"

Eila put her hands on Sanya's panic stricken shoulders, "More? You're sure?"

Sanya nodded fearfully, "Something big. Don't you understand? Those were there to just soften us up."

"Well, they failed in that regard!" Aurora boasted, despite all her bleeding wounds.

Perrine twirled her rapier in hand, a thoughtless gesture she did when she was worried, "Sanya, where is this Dark One?"

"The water," Sanya answered. "It's big."

Aurora looked over into the water with interest on her face. "Think it could capsize us? I've heard of real big ones that can do that."

Sanya's eyes looked downward at the wooden deck, and then she nodded.

"Dark Ones that can capsize ships!?" Perrine blurted out. "This is bad! How could we not have known about-"

"_You_ didn't know," Aurora cut her off, and paced on deck. "See, this ship? The _Ikutursa_. That name is from a sea monster of legend that probably capsized ships. I wouldn't be surprised if it was really a Dark One too!"

Eila shook her head. "Shut up, Sisko. That legend was probably made up. In the story, Vaino grabbed the monster by his ears and beat his face in. Vaino was just a man so-"

"Let's grab this monster up and beat its face in!" Aurora cheered. "You're with me, Gallian."

Perrine brushed her hands against her surcoat and held her rapier tightly. She took off her glasses and safely pocketed them. Around her, the world was a blur now, but she had the feeling this was for the better if they were going to be swimming. She nodded and said, "I don't suppose we have much choice. Believe it or not, my magic works under water. If I got onto its back, or close to it... I might be able to destroy it."

"Hell yeah, we're going swimming!" Aurora cheered.

"Swimming," Perrine repeated, and did not share her enthusiasm. Even without her glasses she could see a very large dark shape gliding beneath the waves. There was a glimmer of red at the 'head' of it. Perrine decided that was what needed stabbing with her rapier, or a blast with her magic.

Behind her, Eila asked, "What's the plan?"

"I'm going to try and take it out with one attack," Perrine told her. "When it gets near the ship, I'll jump and-"

Aurora interrupted her, "Eila! Can you use that spell to create wind? Get the ship away out of here while the Gallian fights it."

"And leave her stranded at sea?" It was a rare moment of concern for Eila.

Perrine put her foot up on the side of the ship and rested her arms on her knee. She shook her head and watched that massive, black serpentine form weave through the sea like a snake, "It's a good idea. You use your spell and get out of here. Once you're sure this thing is done for, come after me on a rowboat or something. I've spent most my life on the harbor of Folkestone, I can certainly swim."

"Then get in the water, Gallian," Aurora gave her a thumb's up.

Sanya bit her lower lip and worriedly told her to be safe.

Eila put on a casual face like she didn't care and said, "If you dragged us out here just to die, I'm going to be annoyed."

"Your concern is touching, Wizard," Perrine had no plans on dying. She watched that serpent swim closer and closer. The thing was was gargantuan, but not very fast at all. She judged it at a hundred meters long, and black like the rest of the Dark Ones. Still, it worried her that she had never even heard of such a 'breed'.

A mental voice in her head screamed, _NOW!_

It had neared just enough, a good ten meters from the ship's starboard. Perrine jumped, rapier clutched tightly. A sudden gust of wind seemingly burst from nowhere and caught the ship's sails, but also caught her. She was carried by the sudden torrent, missing the Dark One. Perrine hit the water and skipped like a stone twice, each time stinging terribly. She struggled to tread the icy water and fought back the panic that ensued following this drastic failure. Eila's spell had been cast too early.

The Dark One in the water gave off a hellish moan, like a weird twisted mockery of a whale song. Its black body snaked close to her, and Perrine did the only thing she could. She had gone into the water to fight, and that's what she was going to do. Swimming desperately through water so cold she was already benumbed, Perrine stabbed at its moving form with her sword.

Black shards exploded around her as her rapier was stuck in it like a climber's pick into a mountainside. The thing moaned again, and Perrine realized with some disheartening feelings that she was at its tail. The head was quite far away. It thrashed and twisted maniacally, trying to throw her off. The end and the tail flew upward, and Perrine felt herself go airborne.

She was disoriented as the sea and sky spun around her. The monster had incredible strength, for she had been thrown a good fifty feet in the air. The rapier was still in her hand, and would never leave so long as she drew breath. She finally stopped spinning and was granted a view straight down into the ocean. The Dark One's head was directly beneath her, with a black maw open. Between six glowing blue eyes, she saw the red jewel that was its heart. Most Dark Ones kept this hidden within their bodies, but this one seemed to wear it proud.

_Look at me... _Perrine managed to think as she was falling, _Acting like these things can think. If it could think, it would not let THIS HAPPPEN!_

She leveled herself in midair as the thing reached to enclose her its jaws. Everything went black as she ended up in its mouth. Part of her wondered what would happen if a thing that did not need to eat swallowed her whole. Thankfully, she wasn't about to find out. The inside was like being in a small, dark cave that was trying to suck her into the back.

Before it could try and finish her, she drew breath, jabbed her rapier at the roof of its mouth and screamed, "_TONNERE!_"

**6**

Far southwest, above the remains of conquered Paris, Neuroin resided in the most impenetrable fortress the world would ever know. Several hundred feet off the ground, the grand palace was impossible to assault, and Neuroin could count the number of foes that could even make their way in on one hand. If they did, they would die within moments under his command.

The perfectly smooth great hallways were illuminated by red lines that crossed the corners, and Neuroin strode across them in long steps with his impossibly tall figure. His normal cloak of darkness was shed in his home, revealing his true form. Neuroin was a man, standing eight feet tall in the armor all his Neuroi were made from. He face was pale and would have been handsome upon any other man. A mane of white hair danced on his shoulders as he walked. His destination was the viewing room, a chamber where he could gaze into the eyes of his Neuroi all across the world. It was an octagonal room whose ceiling was obscured in darkness. Greyish mist filled the room, and amidst the mist was the purpose of the room. With a single thought, Neuroin could conjure windowlike portals into the sight of his soldiers.

Already in that room was his closest adviser, a traitor witch who was nearly half his height and obscure in white robes.

"The North Sea," She spoke in a low voice, and bowed on one knee. "See there, they've bested one hundred and fifty of your skirmishers. A leviathan too. Just when has that ever happened?"

"Acceptable losses," Neuroin said in his deep, commanding voice.

"They always are," His adviser said with a hint of smugness in her voice.

He resisted the urge to kick her kneeling form, and focused on the memories of his destroyed creations. Death could not stop him from seeing what they had seen as the Neuroi were all one conscious. Through the window in the mist, he could see the useless skirmishers charging against a blonde, bespectacled Gallian.

"Strange..." Neuroin pursed his pale lips. "I can remember the face of every witch I've killed. This one should be eleven years dead."

"She is," The witch beside him stood up. "You simply neglected to kill her daughter. Even the next lord of this world makes mistakes, doesn't he?"

There was a tone of legitimate bitterness and spite in the woman's voice.

With a sweep of his hand, he sent his adviser flying back with a powerful slap. She fell on her hands and knees, and spat blood onto the smooth black floor. He wondered how much she could take from his constant punishing and abusing of her. It was something of a game to him now. How much until the witch was bent so much that her body finally broke? It wasn't something he was looking forward to, as he still had uses for her.

"Four witches against a hundred and fifty skirmishers and a leviathan," He said, his expression bemused now. "How many victories against an unending horde until they feel arrogant enough to march through Gallia? My collection of skulls could use new additions."

"Who's more arrogant? The ones who think they can defeat the invincible, or the one who claims to be invincible?"

Neuroin gave a pitiless sigh and extended his hand towards the fallen witch. With a single mental command, she gave a scream of pain. Her body contorted as Neuroin forcefully extracted her magical energy from her; whatever was left of it at least. This one was far past her prime, but he could still subside off her. It was rather convenient not to have to go hunt for witches to feed off their magic when his source was always within arm's reach.

"Witches conspiring," Neuroin shook his head. "This isn't the first time. If my Neuroi cannot slay them, then I will. I'll return to you later, and you had better fulfill your role as my adviser. I wish to know things about those who would conspire against me. You have my permission to direct the Neuroi as you will to see them dealt with."

"How do you know they're conspiring?" The witch dared a smirk as the hood of her white robes fell away. She was a Fuson woman with her hair tied in a warrior's ponytail with her bangs over her forehead. Over one eye was a dark eye-patch.

"Because." He answered, simply, "I haven't pushed any fronts with full force in years. The Karlsland witches hold their borders; the Romagnans have given us no trouble since the Blackguards arrived in Rome; and the Britannians simply watch and cower from afar. Nowhere do they struggle. So why would they band together if not to defeat me or try to retake Gallia?"

Neuroin left before she could answer. The witch pushed herself to her feet and wiped blood from her mouth. Her bones and flesh ached terribly from having her magic drained, but she still smiled. When she was sure he was out of earshot, she whispered something to herself.

"I knew I could count on you, Perrine."

**7**

Perrine awoke with a sneeze that was quite unbecoming for a lady such as herself. She was not in the belly of some monster, but instead in a warm bed that was _not_ rocking back and forth for once. It meant they were on land. Her right arm was bandaged heavily for some reason.

She was in what looked like the room of a higher class inn. She was dressed in a simple nightgown, and nearby on a table cluttered with dinner dishes and the bottles of spirits her clothes were neatly folded as if they had been recently washed. Strangest of all, Eila was close by. She was on her knees, and resting her head on the bed, fast asleep.

Perrine put her glasses on, and felt lightheaded. She was able to piece together loosely in her head what had probably happened. After killing that thing, she nearly drowned, but had been saved; simple as that. The question was, just how far away from their previous spot in the North Sea were they?

The door to the room opened, and it was Sanya who stepped it. She saw Perrine and gave an excited gasp, "You're awake! Thank goodness!"

"Yes, I am," Perrine nodded. "What happened?"

Sanya stepped towards her and sat close by on a wooden chair. "With my magic, I saw you get flung through the air and swallowed. I was so worried, until we saw a great bolt of lightning shoot out of the top of its head. Aurora took lifeboat with her sister to go and get you. You used up all your magic, passed out, and began to drown. Even worse, a shard of the monster's armor cut your arm rather badly."

"So, it's dead?" Perrine breathed a sigh of relief.

Sanya nodded and gave a curt laugh, "Yes it is, silly. You saved everyone on that ship, even if Eila's magic ruined the plan."

"It was really quite simple," She sighed, acting as she believed a noble girl should. "Honestly, if the common folk of the world can't count on us witches to do our job than they may as well give up all hope. I don't yearn to see that happen while I still live. The point is, no need to thank me. I believe any witch could have done what I did."

"I couldn't..." Sanya bit her lower lip, and Perrine instantly regret saying what she had said. The Orussian then looked to Eila and said, "She never left your side both on the _Ikutursa_ and here in Copenhagen. She felt so guilty about her magic nearly getting you killed that she wanted to make sure you were safe."

So they were in Copenhagen. A week or so must have passed with her unconscious. Perrine felt a small twinge of sadness. She was sixteen years old now, and her birthday had passed without her even being awake for it. Another year closer to losing her magic.

Eila, who had just been pretending to sleep suddenly sat up rigid, "Sanya! Don't tell her things like that! That's not what happened. I just wanted to make sure she didn't die so this trip wasn't a waste. I-It's not like I care about some snobby four-eyed Gallian!"

"The feeling's mutual, Suom," Perrine said through her teeth.

"Please stop fighting!" Sanya's voice was something of a squeak.

Perrine and Eila looked at Sanya and both were silent for a moment. Perrine was the first to speak, "How long until we leave for Britannia?"

"Tomorrow," Eila answered, looking none too happy about any of this. "Glad you're up so we don't have to carry you. Next time, don't play hero. Let my sister do the heavy lifting. She's better at it."

With that, Eila stood up and walked away. Perrine made sure to stick her tongue out at her as she left, but felt bad as it made Sanya frown.

"She really was worried about you," Sanya whispered when Eila was gone.

"She has a funny way of showing it."

Sanya's entire face was downcast. "I don't know why she's this way, Perrine. She was the one who made sure your clothes were washed and pressed and that everything was in order. I think she was embarrassed that you found out she was doing nice things for you. She's very modest in her own way."

Perrine didn't know what to say to that, and mostly believed it was simply a lie told by Sanya to make her not detest Eila. It was really hard for Perrine to not dislike her. She was just a stupid, arrogant, unfriendly pagan girl whose magic looked like it was more trouble than it was worth. There would be words to Sakamoto about this when they met up again. For now, all Perrine could do was pray that Sakamoto would be in Folkestone upon their return.

**To Be Continued...**

_**Author's Notes/Commentary**__- If you want something to get you into the mood for the next chapter, listen to acoustic version of _Heimwärts _by _Equilibrium_. The song is nothing short of beautiful. The fight scene in this chapter was written around the song _Leviathan_ by _Alestorm_. It's pirate-themed heavy metal, so what could go wrong?_

_This fight scene was actually almost responsible for killing the whole story. My original draft of it was fucking wretched. Filled with mary-sue flipping and spinning bullshit. I was really frustrated with myself, thinking, "This is fucking awful, how could I have written this!?" but after a couple weeks I returned to it and made it what it is now. _

_Honestly, and this'll sound really bad, I think more authors fanfiction need to do what I did. Take a step back and ask yourself, "Is this any good?" Sometimes you need an honest friend to answer. Self-criticism and actually trying to put out a good product (I'm not saying my stuff is good, just saying I was trying to write a good story) with earnest effort seems to be a rarity._


	4. The Second and Third Witch

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Four**

**The Second and Third Witch**

"_When the valleys get green, when the forests sound  
When our steps get easy, when the men start singing  
We finally reach our gates, at least it breaks out:  
Homeland! We are at home!_"

-_English translation of _Heimwärts _by _Equilibrium _as I could find it_

**8**

A week later Perrine found herself in a nice pub in London, and felt more at home than she had in at least a month. She sat contently drinking tea and chatting with a rather refined Gallian woman she had met there. Perrine eagerly recounted her story of traveling through Suomus and battling trolls and a great sea monster much to the other woman's amazement. She attracted the attention of others, and soon Perrine had a small audience of all ages happily enjoying the recounting of her adventures. Of course, Perrine made sure they all knew that it was Mio Sakamoto who taught her everything she knew.

Eila and her sister sat alone on the far side of the pub there, not wanting any part of the glory. Perrine and Eila hadn't spoken to each other at all since then, and barely even made eye contact. It was morning, and after breakfast and tea they would set out for Folkestone, on the Strait of Dover by horse and carriage. If the journey was unhindered, they'd arrive by sunset.

Perrine approached the two sisters after the crowd around her had dispersed to go spread gossip of a young Gallian witch slaying trolls and sea monsters (along with plenty of flying Dark Ones). Sanya was asleep on the bench at the little table they sat at, curled up in a little ball with a black and red pillow she seemed to carry everywhere. Perrine noticed, however, the two sisters seemed to be glowering over something. It didn't seem to be Perrine.

"Is something wrong?" The Gallian asked them. Eila simply huffed and still refused to speak to her.

Aurora answered and pointed to a group of four girls at another across the pub. She whispered, "It's the sworn enemies of order, reason, and everything relatively good about a functioning society."

"They just look like four ordinary travelers, albeit well-armed" Perrine said and examined the four. Three of them seemed to be Fuson. One was a plain looking brunette girl with a yellow hairclip in her hair, dressed in a dull colored yukata like one of Sakamoto's; there was a katana at her side. Another Fuso girl there had a yellow hairband and a longbow on her back. The one beside her was girl with long raven colored hair.

"That one's a wizard. I can tell," Eila spoke up. Perrine assumed she was talking to her sister. "Part of the Southern Order. She's been watching me this whole time. Wizards don't trust one another these days, not even ones in my own order. This whole conflict with the Dark Ones has us choosing sides, and we don't know who's with who."

The last girl had honey-blonde hair and a half-and-a-half sword in an embroidered hit.

"Adventurers," Aurora sneered. "The bane, of well, everything."

"What's wrong with them?" Perrine asked.

"Don't you see?" Eila said, finally talking to Perrine more or less directly. "They go plundering and adventuring and inviting trouble wherever they go. Somehow, these people can attract stuff to kill and problems to overcome wherever they go through some weird divine creed. Then they find these fabulous riches and sell them to poor general store owners and completely ruin the local economy by spending lots of money on artifact weapons and armor that shopkeepers seem to always have for no explainable reason. You can't suddenly drop that much money into a small economy without major financial disasters!"

"It's true," Sanya sleepily muttered.

Perrine blinked and looked over at the four adventurers. They seemed friendly enough. Still, she didn't really care whether that was true or not, as she wanted to get going to Folkestone with as little delay as possible.

They set out a couple hours before noon. It was a light, breezy spring day with a few clouds on an otherwise blue sky. Perrine lavished the beauty of the Britannian countryside. The breeze carried with it the smell of blooming flowers over the familiar smells of mud and horses over the road. Their trip took them down country lanes bordered by hedges; dikes; and fences. Sometimes it was straight open hills and farms, where the workers toiling in the fields waved at them from afar. It was quite relaxing, and her nerves were calmer than they had been since she had first left for Suomus. It was good to be back, and it would be even better if Sakamoto was there waiting for her. She was quite excited to tell her all about her adventures.

The sky was orange and purple when they finally reached the little coast town of Folkestone. It had been a trading port before Gallia had fallen, but fell on hard times as the nation they had primarily traded with was, for all intents and purposes, gone. A few hardy fisher folk still remained, but the real jewel was a grand white keep built against the harbor.

At one point it had been the staging ground for all Britannian witches against the Dark Ones in Gallia. While it still had a good occupying force of average men and women at arms, its glory days were past. From it, great stone piers were built into the sea where the once powerful fleet led by Britannian witches had been docked. Over the course of ten years, nearly all their ships had been obliterated and all of the witches that once stood together were scattered across Europe fighting the Dark Ones. Most of them were fighting their own personal battles, or simply just trying to hide. There was no cohesion or effort to really together and beat back Neuroin any longer.

There had once been a hundred witches in Castle Folkestone, and now, as far as Perrine knew, there were three, one of which was an incompetent, lazy raccoon-dog. Sakamoto and Lady Minna had partitioned King Edward the Third for more support, but it had never come. Other than the meager witch presence, there were a good number of footmen and maidens tending the castle as well. Hardly a fighting force, but they were loyal subjects that had served the witches well over the course of this conflict. The lack of witches worked in keeping the Dark Ones away from Folkestone, and now the town was quiet and isolated.

As the four of them dismounted and strode down the garden courtyard to the great gates of Castle Folkestone, they were greeted by the cheers and applause of the subjects there. Perrine smiled and bowed at their enthusiasm. For the first time in her life, she really felt like something close to a hero. The castle was beautiful, decorated with banners and standards of Britannia along with the heralds and crests of many witch families. Amidst them stood the crossed rose and rapier of the Clostermann family.

"It was like this marching through Orussia," Aurora commented as they walked. "It's nice, ain't it? Makes you realize, we might be all these people got."

"You're right," Perrine replied, understanding fully.

Aurora sighed lazily, like she was remembering better times, "I didn't really get to stay for the celebrations when we took back a lot of ground. But, you know, I was a mercenary back then. I had other fish to fry, and money to make down in Romagna."

"What did you do in Romagna?" Perrine asked.

The older witch shrugged, "That's not important."

"I prefer peace and quiet." Eila yawned, walking with her hands resting behind her head acting like she didn't care.

"But I thought you said you wanted this kind of attention, like your sister," Sanya innocently commented.

"Don't say stuff like that!" Eila blurted out, face going red as she cringed.

Past the doors was a well-lit great hall. Walking towards them was Minna-Dietlinde Wilke, a woman whose air of superiority and grace always humbled Perrine. At this moment she was wearing a fine dress of olive green, but Perrine had seen her in armor on the battlefield before. The difference between those two outfits made her seem like two separate people in Perrine's mind. Minna's hair was shade of crimson red worn long, straight and plain. She had a motherly aura to her. Kind and gentle, but strict and scary when she needed to be.

Perrine bowed in respect, and only Sanya seemed to repeat the gesture. Aurora simply nodded while Eila stood there casually. Perrine wanted to smack her some respect into her.

"Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen," Minna said, reaching out her hand, which Eila lazily shook. "My dear friend Mio spoke highly of you. It's an honor to meet you. There are so few of your order left that I had never expected to see a wizard again while I still lived."

"The pleasure's mine," Eila said, looking about the castle with an expression that might have been interest. "I'm surprised she wanted me to come all the way out her. We didn't quite get along when we last met. Is she around?"

"You've met Sakamoto!?" Perrine blurted out.

"Mhm," Eila nodded at her. "Was about seven months ago."

"That's when she disappeared!" Perrine's mind was now going wild. "Where did you see her? Did she say what she was doing?"

"I can't answer either of those things," Eila told her with wave of her hand. "It's a very secret mission. I helped her along a little bit, that's all. When going through Gallia it helps to h-"

"That's enough, Eila," Minna cut her off, but the damage was done.

Perrine put her hand on Eila's shoulder, ready to interrogate out of her, "Gallia!? You two were in _Gallia_!? What's happening there!?"

Eila slapped her hand away. She stood back and frowned, "Hey! I just said I can't say! What if the enemy captured you and tortured you for information? It'd mess up the whole quest!"

"What do you mean!? Nobody is more resolute and strong-willed than I! Such a thing would never happen and Sakamoto knows it!" Perrine stomped towards the wizard, who kept stepping back away from her. Aurora pulled Perrine back by the neck of her surcoat to stop her.

"Perrine, that's enough," Minna spoke up in a firm, yet kind voice. "I know you want to know more about this mission and what Mio has in mind, but you'll have to be patient. Just trust her and keep following her instructions. You'll know what she has in mind later."

"But why does everyone else seem to be in on it!?" Perrine felt her anger rising, white hot. She felt betrayed and left out. Like she really wasn't a part of this, but instead just the errand girl.

"I'm not a part," Sanya whispered from nearby. "I had no idea Eila had gone to Gallia. She never told us where she went. She simply disappeared."

Eila guilty looked at the ground as she was talked about.

"Same goes for me," Aurora added. "You're not the only one, Blondie. So what if my sister knows a bit?"

"But I should be the one who knows everything!" Perrine muttered. She stormed off. Even the stupid, arrogant pagan girl was more in on this than she was. That thought was so overwhelmingly offensive to her that she felt like she was going to explode with rage. She found the highest, most secluded rampart and went there to cry.

Alone with her tears, she looked over the Strait of Dover. The sky on the horizon was a blood red color over Gallia. The Dark Ones had destroyed everything it seemed; even the blue sky she had looked up at as a little girl. Where was Sakamoto? Was she in Britannia? Gallia? Where? And why hadn't she told Perrine anything? Why was she singled out to be the one left in the dark? A million theories swam in her head. She wondered if she hadn't been the prodigious pupil to Sakamoto that she thought she had been. Maybe Sakamoto really regarded her so poorly she was afraid that Perrine would somehow make everything worse if she was on board with the whole plan. So she left her out. That idea made Perrine cry harder.

"Hey," A voice from behind her said. Perrine felt a stab of anger when she realized it was Eila's.

"What do you want!?" Perrine shot back at her, making no effort to even try and be polite.

"Calm down," Eila rolled her eyes and rested her arms on the ramparts beside Perrine and looked into the Strait of Dover. "Just used a spell to find you. Thought you could use some company."

"Maybe," Perrine muttered, then bitterly added, "Not from you though."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, you hate me," She seemed rather casual about that. "I'm Suomish, and my ancestors were all wrong, disoriented, and they and I are filthy heathens."

"It has nothing to do with that!" Perrine slammed her fists down. "I'm angry right now because Sakamoto confided important information to you instead of me! We've been close for eleven years now and she's treating me like some little kid."

"Yeah, I can see why you'd feel that way," Eila smiled at Perrine. "She told me a bit about you when we met. Said you were hotheaded and jealous a lot..."

Perrine felt a stab of betrayal in her heart. Sakamoto had been talking ill of her!?

"...but she said you had more potential than any witch she had ever met," Eila continued, and Perrine breathed a sigh of relief. "She told me to watch over and take care of you while she was gone and... I'll admit, I don't really like you... _yet_. I didn't want to be a part of this at first, I really, really didn't, so I ekpt quiet about it. It was stupid of me."

"Yeah... well, it was..." Perrine felt a lot of her anger subsiding. It was now a lot harder to hate Eila. Now she understood why Eila had been with her the whole time she had been unconscious at sea. Even if Eila didn't like her, she was still keeping her word to Sakamoto and Perrine respected that immensely. It meant Eila was someone she could trust.

"And..." Eila looked away from Perrine, back out east towards Gallia. "...there was another thing she said. She said you were like a daughter to her, and that having you involved was the hardest thing she'd ever done. She's lost friends before simply because they knew too much. At least, that's what she told me."

"A d-daughter?" Perrine felt dizzy all of a sudden. The praise was too much. She felt like she was going to faint.

Eila nodded, and playfully patted Perrine's red cheek, "I guess those were the magic words. When you're doing moping around, that Minna lady wants to talk to you. Something about whipping the two new witches into something resembling fighters. Aurora would do it but... nobody wants Aurora to do it."

"H-How come?" Perrine still couldn't get her thoughts together.

"You'll see why eventually. I guess Minna wants someone more refined. Aurora swings hard and hits hard, but bleeds for it. You didn't even get scratched fighting those skirmishers," Eila told her, and began to walk away.

"Wait!" Perrine reached out to touch her shoulder with a trembling hand.

"Hm?" The silver-haired girl cocked an eyebrow.

"T-Thanks..." She told her. "F-For telling me. I feel better now. A lot better."

"I hate tears," Eila said with a wave of her hand, and left it at that. Perrine stood alone for a while longer, looking out to the thin stretch on the horizon that was Gallia. It seemed so close, like she could just swim across the strait and save everyone.

She felt better though, less betrayed. It was amazing how much she had misjudged the person closest to her. Sakamoto wasn't leaving her out because of doubt or scrutiny, but out of care and concern. Perrine though Eila was embellishing her words though. It was easy to believe Mio Sakamoto cared for her, but to think she saw her as a daughter? Perrine closed her eyes and thought back to times they had together. Sakamoto had been a lot of things to Perrine but motherly was not one.

_"I ffink my nobe ib broggen!" Perrine had told Sakamoto as she clutched her bloodied face. Blood was pouring through her gloved hands as she tried to cover her now slightly crooked nose._

_ "Is it?" Sakamoto tilted her head, looking at Perrine's face through her one good eye. The other was covered with an eyepatch after she had lost an eye in some fight long ago. "Ah well. A bit of blood never hurts. It makes you stronger! Now let's see if I remember how to fix broken noses!"_

In hindsight, she felt like that memory was funny. It made her think of a much older, faded memory of when she had been maybe four years-old.

_"Momma, I scraped me knee!" She had cried to her mother at the footsteps of their lovely home. Her mother, a tall blonde woman, scooped her up and held her close._

_ "Oh my dear little Perrine, what ever shall I do?" Her mother swooned in playful mock-drama. She called to Perrine's father, "Oh Tristepin, our beautiful daughter has suffered the most grievous of all maladies! A skinned knee!"_

_ "A skinned knee?" Her father played along, "My dear Evangelyne, shall I dig her a grave beneath the peach tree?"_

In the present, Perrine gave a dreamy sigh and a smile. Eleven years they had been dead, and she no longer mourned for them the same way. What memories she had felt like they were from a different life. Yes, Sakamoto certainly was not 'motherly'.

_"Get up," She commanded as Perrine lied on her back. "You're not done."_

_ It had been the most brutal sparring practice yet. A swift blow to the gut from Sakamoto's wooden sword had knocked all the wind out of Perrine's already exhausted body. She felt like she couldn't move. They had been at it for hours and every joint ached. She could only mutter, "C-Can't..."_

_ "I didn't ask if you could or couldn't. Get up!" Sakamoto was scary at times, and this was a perfect example. "The Dark Ones won't stop and ask if you need a little breather! If this was a real battle, you'd already be dead. Dead! Dead! Dead! So get up!"_

Yes, there were times where Sakamoto almost seemed to hate her. Driving Perrine far beyond her physical limits; scolding her over mistakes; and never seeming to forgive small errors. There were times were Perrine was resentful for it, but now a young woman who was nearly an adult, she understood. Sakamoto needed to harden her for the path ahead.

**9**

"So, what's the problem?" Perrine asked Minna as they all stood out at the stone pier from the castle. Crumbling columns stuck out of the water from old structures that had once stood out in the water. Castle Folkestone had once been larger, built partly over the sea to house entire ships beneath great stone ceilings. Now all that was left were two stone piers and mountains of rubble jutting forth from the surface of the water.

Minna was expressing her worries that the third witch Sakamoto had requested may not be up to par with the others.

"The problem is nerves." Minna said again. "In training, she performs perfectly. We've skirmished with Dark Ones before, and she froze up."

The witch in question was a Britannian girl named Lynette Bishop. She was a young girl, a couple years below Perrine and Eila, but had the curves of a girl much older. Her hair was a light brown and quite long, tied back in a single thick braid. Perrine at least had to respect that she carried herself very properly. Next to Aurora, who got along with everyone, Perrine liked Lynette more than any other witch so far. She had spent a little time getting to know her, and found her soft spoken, and properly educated.

In Lynette's hand was a longbow, but she carried no quiver of arrows. Her magic was quite special. She could conjure arrows from nothing, and guide them very accurately. There was a wide range of arrows she could conjure, making her incredibly versatile and useful.

From what Perrine knew, her bow was named _Gloryhammer_, and had belonged to Lynette's great-grandmother. Her great-grandmother had been a powerful witch who had used the bow to help hunt pirates out on the high seas to keep trade routes safe. Lynette had told Perrine that she had grown up on many tales about her ancestor and all the wonderful adventures she had gone on with _Gloryhammer_.

"Nerves?" Perrine didn't believe it. She had fought the Dark Ones for the first time just recently, and nerves hadn't been a problem. She shook her head and looked to Aurora, "Okay, let's go again."

Aurora nodded with a smile. She grabbed a watermelon from the pile nearby and lobbed it through the air.

Lynette reacted instantly, conjuring an arrow of yellow energy and firing it with unerring accuracy at the fruit. The watermelon exploded in a shower of red mist.

"W-Was that good?" Lynette stammered.

"Perfect!" Perrine replied, quite impressed.

Aurora watched the shower of red and murmured darkly, "Rest in peace noble fruit... you shall be avenged!"

"Oh get off it." Perrine said to her and went to pat Lynette on the shoulder. "With an eye like that, you're perfect for whatever Sakamoto has in mind."

"I'm rubbish in a real fight though," Lynette replied, eyes downcast. "I can't make any arrows, nonetheless even shoot them. I just get in the way..."

A higher pitched voice sounded as a young Fuson girl approached them, "Don't say that Lyn!"

It was Yoshika Miyafuji, and Perrine felt a pang of loathing at the small Fuson witch. Sakamoto had recruited her personally several months before vanishing with the help of Eila. Yoshika was a powerful healer, a natural prodigy at her age and seemed to be just best pals with Mio Sakamoto most of the time. For that, Perrine hated her. Perrine had been under Sakamoto's tutelage for over ten years and wasn't that openly friendly with her.

"Yes, let's hear your educated opinion on the matter," Perrine sneered.

Yoshika hesitated, the weight of Perrine's glare crushing her. "I just... I just don't think Lyn is useless, that's all! It's only natural to be a bit afraid, r-right?"

"Yoshika..." Her words were of some comfort to Lynette it seemed.

Minna stepped forward and agreed with Miyafuji, "Yes, nobody here thinks Lynette is useless. We know the problem, it's just about overcoming that. She's young, and hasn't had exposure to the Dark Ones like the rest of us have."

"I've never seen them up close," Miyafuji said. "On the voyage here, we were ambushed by them over sea, but I was below deck during the fighting. I've seen what they can do though, because I had to tend to the wounded afterward."

"Yes, your specialization is in healing, not war." Minna told her.

"Ahem," Perrine cleared her throat. "I believe Sakamoto would agree with me on this point, but just because her specialty is healing magic, that doesn't mean she shouldn't have to train in melee combat like the rest of us. My family's magic has always been the _Tonnerre_ spell. However, Sakamoto made it a point to make sure I was quite versed in the art of swordplay. I owe my life to the skills she taught me."

"Mio taught me some of the basics of how to fight and-"

Perrine cut Miyafuji off with a shrill of anger, "How dare you refer to her as _Mio_! She is not your friend and-"

"_Enough!_" Minna shouted over them. She pointed towards Gallia over the strait, "Look over there. That's where your enemy is at, not beside you. I know you're under a lot of stress Perrine, but taking it out on everyone around you isn't going to help a thing!" She composed herself and added in a strict voice, "But still I see your point. Perrine, Aurora, I can trust you two to make sure Miyafuji is up to par? She hasn't been keeping up with her training since Mio left, but she's a quick learner."

"Aye-aye, ma'am!" Aurora enthusiastically agreed, cradling one of the watermelons in her arms defensively. "We won't be using fruit, will we?"

"You're crazy," Perrine said to Aurora, frowning. "However, yes, we will train Miyafuji." With a glimmer of malice she added, "Just the same way Sakamoto trained me."

**10**

Training weapons at Castle Folkestone were made of wood and filled with lead to pack a bit of a punch. Nobody seriously got hurt but plenty of noses and ribs had been broken. They trained in the garden courtyard. Aurora was resting against a tree with a bottle of fine wine while reading through the _Lay of Thrym. _She chuckled to herself, "Haha, you stupid asshole. Nobody steals Mjolnir and gets away with it!"

Eila and Sanya were off somewhere, and Minna lounged near Aurora beneath the apple tree the Suom was reading under. Between reading, Aurora watched with Minna as Perrine tried to get Miyafuji up to par with their wooden practice swords. Perrine's was a narrow one to imitate her beloved rapier, while Miyafuji was using one of Sakamoto's curved practice swords. Perrine was so overbearingly brutal that Minna had been forced to step in more than once to tell her to lay off. Lynette was nearby as well, calling out words of praise and encouragement to Miyafuji.

"So, I'm new to all this," Aurora spoke up to Minna, closing her book. "This is my first time in Britannia, you see. My little sister is involved in your friend, Mio Sakamoto's big plan here and I'm making sure she's okay."

"It's good to have you fighting with us, Miss Juutilainen," Minna replied, offering her a motherly smile. "I've heard that you've fought long and hard in Orussia years ago. I don't know of your deeds in specific, but I know the names of most witches who have been fighting for years. If it were up to me, you'd be enjoying a nice long retirement."

"I'd get too restless." The Suom replied, and took a swig of wine. "I'm past my prime, sure, but isn't Mio Sakamoto? My sister said she's over thirty years old."

"Yes, her magic is far weaker than it had been when we met as teenagers," Minna nodded. "Unlike you two, when I became of age, I couldn't fight anymore. I've been directing the witches from Castle Folkestone for some time now after helping others in Karlsland. We drove the Dark Ones out of the majority of our land there, but the fight at the eastern border of Gallia has raged incessantly for years now. It's been a deadlock for quite some time. My friend, Gertrud Barkhorn still keeps the border safe with her company of two-hundred horsemen. It's because of her I can remain here and rest easily; relatively speaking."

Minna paused and sighed a little sadly, "Back before Gallia fell, there were five of us, and we were inseparable friends. Perrine's mother was part of our fellowship, but sadly she fell when Gallia did if you did not know."

"Yeah, I think Perrine mentioned something about that," Aurora nodded, listening. "Are the other two around?"

"One of them is," Minna answered. "Another Fuson named Junko, but she was a bit of a wallflower. She was in Denmark last I knew. The other is the saddest tale. Her name was Lucretia, a very kind and playful Romagnan who settled down to take over some local political faction in Rome. She and her husband were murdered by a traitor witch paid off by the Blackguards or even Neuroin himself. It's so sad to think that we can't even trust each other."

Aurora froze up, like that story had hit close to home to her. She swallowed hard, took a big gulp of wine and went to change the subject, "Ugh, that's terrible. I'm so sorry... and... so, about Miss Sakamoto? She's got some big plan I hear?"

Minna was quiet for a moment. She gave an answer finally, with her mood even more downcast, "I think so. Whether her plan is to finally break the stalemate so Karlsland can liberate Gallia from the east, or something else, I can't say. She's been very withholding of information, and is terrified of any pieces of her plan falling into the hands of Neuroin. It involves Gallia, and a select team of witches. Two of my friends from Karlsland -Barkhorn included- are going to be involved, and I'm very excited to see them again. It's been years."

"Yeah, I know what that's like. We have friends and family scattered all about Orussia and Suomus," Aurora replied with a bit of melancholy of her own. She took a bigger swig of wine this time. "So we win whatever fight this Fuson woman has in store for us, and we get to see all those people again, right?"

"I hope so..." Minna looked entirely unsure. "...but we shouldn't get our hopes up. Dark Ones still occupy parts of Karlsland, a good portion of Orussia, and now the Blackguards are gaining support in Rome. Still, just one solid victory would hinder Neuroin enough for us finally have enough breathing room to start uniting our armies."

"Isn't that what we're doing now?" Aurora smiled and cocked an eyebrow. She gestured to the two young witches: Lynette and Miyafuji, "What's their stories? The Britainnian is a good shot with her magic arrows... a good shot and a good waster of perfectly good fruit!"  
"She's from a noble family in London," Minna answered. "Still, she's young and inexperienced even if she has a lot of potential Her heart is full of courage, but it tends to be overshadowed with dread and the threat of seeing friend or herself hurt. If she can't overcome that, I'm afraid we'll have to work around her. It would be a very deep loss to move on without her though..."

"One good victory will straighten her out," The silver-haired girl said. "With my sister, a powerful wizard; myself; and that Gallian; victory doesn't seem hard to achieve now does it? What about the other one?"

"Yoshika Miyafuji is the daughter of an old friend of Mio's; as is Perrine. The two are similar in that regard, but I don't think either of their parents ever met one another." Minna looked at the two of them sparring, and bit her lower lip as Perrine was pushing Yoshika to the bounds of her physical limitation. "About a year ago Mio returned to Fuso to visit family, friends, and learn news from there. She returned with Yoshika Miyafuji. Yoshika is the heir to a very well acclaimed clinic and the daughter of a very powerful healing witch. It runs in the family, and I can see why Mio saw fit to bring her back. A witch that can heal others is insurmountably valuable to us. Even the best physician and surgeon's abilities cannot rival even a shadow of her magic. If only we had found her earlier in this war, or her mother, then many lives could have been saved."

Aurora nodded solemnly and took another drink. This time she was drinking to the fallen. She passed the bottle to Minna who did the same for a moment. The bottle was passed back and Aurora said in a lower voice, "I'm probably stepping on eggshells, but I don't know how much I trust your pal Mio. Just because of well, her trust in _her_."

Aurora pointed towards Perrine. Perrine swiped her rapier like it was a normal sword. It collided with Yoshika's face and broke her nose with a spurt of blood. The young Fuso girl cried and fell to her knees, clutching her face as blood poured through her fingers.  
"Honestly." Perrine shook her head in haughty disgust. "The enemy will do more than break your nose. Get up."

"I can't!" Miyafuji cried. "I can't! I can't! I can't! I'm not a fighter like you!"

Lynette was at her side, trying to help her up. "Come on Yoshika, you're okay. Just a bit of b-blood. Can you heal it?"

"Y-Yeah, I think so." Yoshika's hands glowed a bright blue over her nose, and the bleeding began to stop. Lynette hurried away, to find a wet towel to wash her friend's face. As she departed, the Fuso girl pleaded to Perrine, "We've been at this for hours! Why can't we take a break?"

"Breaks; mercy; rest; those all must be very nice things for you." Perrine shook her head at the younger girl. "I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with those concepts. So clean up so we can start again."

Back at the apple tree, Minna shook her head and said to Aurora, "I see your point. Perrine has her shortcomings, but she's a good soul at heart. We'll have a talk with her later."

"No, I think _she_ will." Aurora said. Coming into the courtyard with Lynette was Aurora's sister. "Eila's better at talking reason into people. She and Perrine act like they hate each other, but I know Eila's cheered her up on more than one occasion."

Eila walked behind Perrine and rested a hand on her shoulder, making the Gallian jump in surprise.

"W-When did you get here?" Perrine struggled to regain her composure. "I swear, you and Sanya move like ghosts."

Perrine truly meant that. Sanya in particular had a very strange way of moving about unseen and unheard and fretting on the edge of Perrine's vision. In that way, she was very much like a ghost. Sometimes it was hard to tell if she had even really seen her or had just been imagining things.

As if reading her mind, Eila replied, "Sanya isn't a ghost. Come on, let Miyafuji have her break. I want to talk to you anyhow."

Perrine looked at Eila, then back to Miyafuji and Lynette. The Britainnian was wiping up her friends face and telling her she had done fine, despite Perrine's constant criticisms. Perrine sighed, "Yes, I suppose a break won't kill us... for now. What did you want to talk about?"

Eila led her through the beautiful gardens of Castle Folkestone. Many of the fair maidens of Folkestone tended to the gardens, and they were bright with the blooming flowers of spring. Fruit trees were bristling with apples, cherries, plums, and peaches that were beginning to grow from their flowers. The air was filled with the sweet smell of the flora, making it easy for anyone there to forget their worries.

"Do you suppose you're a little hard on Miyafuji?" Eila spoke up as they walked. "Three nosebleeds in four hours. If I didn't know any better, you were _trying_ to hurt her."

"How do you even know about this? You weren't even out here with us!"

"I wasn't, but_ she _was." Eila replied, and her stealthy little black fox ran from a bush to brush against Eila's legs. "She keeps me informed of going-ons when I'm not around. Every wizard worth her salt keeps a good familiar about."

Perrine felt a chill. She didn't particularly like the idea of an ever present spy watching her moves almost completely unseen. She cleared her throat and replied, "It's not of any concern of yours how I treat her, thank you very much."

"We're all going to be working together here, so I think it is my concern." Eila was frowning now. "She's not learning a thing from you right now. She's just sharpening her healing magic to fix all her broken noses, bruises, and cuts you leave her with. You and Aurora were supposed to be working together to help her, what happened?"

"I didn't need Aurora's help, and it's not my fault if Miyafuji can't keep up with me." Perrine crossed her arms and stuck her nose up at Eila. "If she had shown more promise and initiative when she first came here from Fuso, maybe Sakamoto would have pushed her harder and she'd be able to handle me."

"But Sakamoto didn't. So why should you?"

"Because that's how she pushed me!" Perrine shot back. "I fail to see any reason why I should treat Miyafuji any differently than I was treated!"

It wasn't Eila that replied, but instead the soft, sleepy voice of Sanya. "Then you're just being a bully."

"Sanya?" Eila looked about. Perrine couldn't see her either.

The Orussian girl sat up from where she had been sleeping unseen in the shade of a peach tree.

"You really are like a ghost." Perrine sneered at her, not appreciating the comment about being a bully one bit.

Eila elbowed Perrine out of anger, "Call her that again and you'll spend a few days as a ferret... and not the good kind either! I don't even know why I bother to keep my word to Sakamoto babysit you, you spoiled little brat."

"Spoiled!?" Perrine repeated, anger rising again at the arrogant pagan witch. She gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to swing at Eila. Out of all the things that Perrine was, spoiled she couldn't be. Her parents had been taken before her eyes, and she had spent every day of her life looking over the strait and seeing the red sky of her fallen homeland. She had spent every day training so that she could have what Eila had her entire life.

"Yes, _spoiled_!" Eila shouted at her. "That girl probably hadn't held a sword in her life until she came here, and sure hasn't held one in the last six months since Sakamoto has been gone. You've grown up in this castle swinging that needle of yours every day, training under the best witches in the world and now you're acting like she should be able to handle herself the same way. Well guess what, she's here to heal, not battle! So you'd best hope you're on her good side when some Dark One runs you through, because if I were her I'd leave you to die where you were!"

"You... You..." Perrine took a step back. Eila's words had pierced her like daggers of ice. Never before had anyone said something so hateful and uncouth. Her eyes burned with tears.

"Eila..." Even Sanya sounded astounded at her friend's outburst.

"There it is." Eila crossed her arms, glaring malice at Perrine. "You're going to really change the way you treat people, or Sakamoto's going to find her little task force short of all the witches she needs."

**11**

Over the next several days, guilt and self-loathing filled Perrine to the point where she didn't want to spend any more time with the other witches than she absolutely have to. She kept hoping, praying, that Sakamoto would return to Folkestone and they could journey to find the other witches together. Alas, that did not seem to be the case. Once Minna deemed that Lynette was ready for the journey, and the inevitable battles that lied ahead, they would leave for Karlsland.

She watched from one of the ramparts of the castle down to the stone pier. Aurora was again throwing watermelons high into the air, and every time Lynette shot them down with the greatest of ease. Even from high above, Perrine could hear the high pitched voice of Miyafuji showering praise to her Britainnian friend. Lynette was very new to the Folkestone, having come short after Perrine departed one her month long journey to retrieve Eila. She and Miyafuji had become fast friends it seemed.

Perrine sighed with a strong degree of sorrow and realized she had no close friend like that. Eila and Sanya wandered the halls silently with one another, and Aurora seemed to get along with just about everyone. Perrine spent most of her time alone, taking meals by herself to her room when she could.

There was no more training with her and Miyafuji. She left that to Aurora, who was not trained in swordplay, but nonetheless knew a thing or two about self-defense. Left alone, Perrine made the preparations for the journey ahead, making sure they would have all the necessities. All the witches, save Minna, would be leaving with her. The words Eila had said failed to leave Perrine's mind. She felt like everyone loathed her and her presence.

Later she sat in the garden alone, beneath the apple tree Aurora and Minna had spoken under. She gazed up past the leaves up to the blue sky. She hoped Lynette would get over her problems soon, for she wanted to leave Folkestone and be on the road again. She wasn't there long before Lynette happened to stroll by, probably walking the garden for some peace of mind. It was easy to forget your troubles there.

"Good afternoon, Miss Clostermann." Lynette said to her, "Um, is it alright if... if I sit with you?"

"Of course." Perrine smiled at her. She had been quite lonely and enjoyed the company. "You may just call me Perrine too, Lynette. Sakamoto is the only witch I address by her surname. It's out of respect. When you meet her, you'll see why it's so hard to be informal around her."

Lynette nodded, and sat beside Perrine under the tree. She was silent for a while, gazing up at the sky beside her.

"I'm so afraid." Lynette said in a low, shy voice. "I can't bring myself to be brave like the rest of you."

"It's my sense of duty that brings me courage." Perrine told her. "I know if I fail in my task, Gallia will remain as it is. It's my duty to try and undo what Neuroin has done. In Karlsland, lands that were once tainted by the Dark One's presence are starting to bloom green again. It may take decades, but Gallia will be how I remember it when I was a little girl."

"The sky above Gallia is red, and they say that plants struggle to grow while the Dark Ones occupy the land." Lynnete said.

Perrine nodded. "It's true."

"I'm so afraid Britannia will become like Gallia." Lynette's voice was quivering with fear. "I can draw arrows to shoot watermelons, much to Aurora's chagrin, but every time I've seen Dark Ones I was paralyzed with fear. All I could picture in my mind was Folkestone burning and them marching steadily off to London with the beautiful countrysides of my homeland withering beneath them. It's such a short distance from here to Gallia... With the other witches that were once here gone, I was terrified it would be up to me alone to defend Folkestone under an attack before you all arrived."

"I wish I could be in your position then." Perrine commented, sliding down to lie in the grass. There was a relaxed, dreamy tone to her voice, "Me and the Karlslanders who have lost our homes find your role in all this enviable."

"Enviable!?" Lynette gasped. "Fear prevents me from raising my bow in defense of my homeland. What part of that is enviable!?"

"The fact that you can still defend the land you love." The Gallian answered. "I'm quite jealous. I was five years old when Gallia fell. There was nothing I could do. Even when we reclaim Gallia, much of what made it grand is gone forever."

Lynette was silent in deep thought for another long while.

"Hey, you two!" A voice called, it was Minna rushing towards them. "The enemy is coming over the strait! They must have somehow figured out that a gathering of witches is here and are mustering a preemptive strike against us!"

Perrine sprang to her feet. "You can count on me, Aurora, and Lynette to keep this holding safe from harm."

"You have my thanks then." Minna nodded. "Shall I rouse Eila and Sanya from their sleep to join the battle? They're coming over the strait and the two of them may be able to thin their numbers."

Perrine shook her head and took Lynette's hand to bring her to her feet. "I don't think we'll need them this day. Lynette here has an opportunity that many witches would relish. The chance to defend her homeland, and her family far from these lines. My heart tells me she won't let us down."

Lynette gulped hard, but nodded bravely. "I... I won't let you all down!"

**To Be Continued...**

_**Author's Notes/Commentary**__- Surprisingly little to say about this one. This was a fun chapter to write. I always love doing character focused and dialogue driven chapters. Some of the later ones (17 especially come to mind) get a little crazy because I get so carried away with conversations. I have to make it a point to stop myself or they end up being over 10k words long. Readers of _Chooser of the Slain_ will remember this well. _


	5. Shrapnel

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Five**

**Shrapnel**

_"The waiting time is over  
No final night before  
Once more into action  
Embrace the storm. Oncoming for all_

_Standing  
At the edge  
Allegiances  
Now pledged... forever."_

-_At First Light_ by _Bolt Thrower_

**12**

Perrine scrambled to put on the armor she wore over her arms and legs. She pulled her surcoat over her tunic and cursed herself for not being fully dressed for battle at all times. Leaving her plumed hat behind, she ran to the piers where the others were.

"What's the word?" Perrine asked. There was Minna, watching the eastern front; Aurora with her Dark pole-axe in hand; and Yoshika looking terrified alongside Lynette. Yoshika had a longsword on her back, but the thing looked entirely useless on her.

Minna's looked like she was deep in thought. "I cannot shield my weapons, but I still have some ability to sense what lies beyond."

Perrine peered her eyes east as well. All she saw was the red horizon of Gallia. "Do you know when they'll be upon us?"

"Very soon I'm afraid," Minna turned away to address the others, "This is it everyone! The four of you are the only hope that Folkestone has! Aurora and Perrine, you will hold the pier and dispatch any that land. Lynette, you will support them by destroying as many as you can in the sky. Yoshika, if any harm is to befall them, their fate is in your hands."

Everyone was in on the plan right away. Minna hurried off, as she would be useless in the battle without a shielded weapon. Weapons like the one Aurora possessed were excruciatingly rare in the hands of any human save the Blackguards.

"You ready Gallian?" Aurora asked from beside Perrine. Her axe was in her hands, its edge glowing an evil red. "Look in the sky, you can see the first volley. Good thing we're not in a boat to be capsized this time."

"Not like such a thing would hinder me," Perrine replied. Her confidence and courage were tenfold of what they had been before her first battle. She had little to fear from skirmishers, she believed. Indeed, the distant, birdlike shapes of Dark Ones could be see skirting the sky.

"Looks like just more skirmishers..." Aurora's eyes were much keener than Perrine's.

Perrine looked over her shoulder at Lynette. She smiled and said, "Don't worry Lynette. This breed of Dark One is hardly a threat. Just keep your head clear, your mind focused, and your aim true and you'll see that you're quite an asset."

The skirmishers were accelerating quickly towards the group on the stone pier.

"With Sanya," Aurora said, "this fight would be over by now. I place the Enemy's numbers at fifty."

"Well when this is over, we'll celebrate with wine and fruit," Perrine told Aurora with a bit of playful grin, "My treat."

"You're speaking my language now!" Aurora exclaimed with glee, "_Hyvä! Hyvä! Hyvä!_"

Upon her last chorus, her great pole-axe shattered the form of the first Dark One to meet them. Perrine had a smile on her face as she called out, "_Tonerre!_" She placed emphasis on both syllables and had the palm of her left hand extended outward. A great burst of electricity shot from her hand and arced between many of the skirmishers. They exploded into shards of white, glowing material with a sound that sounded like a cross between a bell chiming and glass breaking. Her single spell had greatly diminished their numbers. The rest landed soon after, but the combined fighting prowess of Perrine and Aurora meant the fight did not last much longer.

"Feels too easy," Perrine said as she wiped sweat off her brow, "Last time they came in greater numbers with a strong champion to match in the sea. With my magic and our skill at arms, I believe the two of us could reasonable slay a thousand together by the time night fell."

"It'd be a workout," Aurora rolled her shoulders.

"So... that's it?" Lynette asked from behind them. "I... didn't do anything at all. I'm so sorry!"

"You need not be," Perrine smiled and placed a gloved hand on her shoulder. While she had hoped to see Lynette truly fight this time, she was greatly relieved the battle had gone so simply. "While I don't mean this in any ill way, your abilities were not needed for this battle."

"Just one of us could have fended this hoard," Aurora agreed.

"Still..." Lynette did not look at that reassured, "...perhaps another flock will come and I'll fight with the both of you. Oh! Thank you so much for defending Britannia!"

"Don't worry Lyn, you'll get your chance to shine!" Yoshika shouted.

"She's right,"Aurora put her hand on Lynette's other shoulder, "Just keep your chin up, kid."

"Thanks, all of you," A smile was shining on Lyn's face, "In our next battle, you won't be let down!"

"I believe you'll be holding to those words soon," Perrine said, as she saw a black shape moving through the sky. It was larger than a Dark One skirmisher, at least twice so. It carried itself with a sort of refined elegance, both arms crossed and glowing red slits for eyes that seemed to be gazing down at them disdainfully. The shape of its body made it seem like it was wearing dark robes like a monk or librarian. It stood fifty meters out at sea, high in the air.

"Scatter!" Aurora frantically cried. The other three hesitated for a moment, but soon saw what Aurora meant. The Dark One raised a black hand, and before it a jagged black spike was conjured from nothing. It zoomed through the air at them, missing, but exploding against the stone pier. Black shrapnel shot from the small explosion it had caused, only narrowly missing the four.

"I'll get Sanya!" Perrine gritted her teeth and grabbed her dropped rapier as she scrambled away. Yoshika was on her stomach, frantically crawling for the passage back to the castle's relative safety. Lynette was rooted in place, shivering with fear.

"It's a sharp-shooter!" Aurora told them as she raised her axe again. "In Orussia I've seen these things kill more witches than any other Dark One combined save maybe Neuroin himself. Lyn! Put pressure on it until Sanya and my sister arrive. They can dispatch this bastard in short work!"

"I...I..." Lynette's knees were quaking, and the look in her eyes said she had accepted that they were doomed.

The sharp-shooter raised his hand once more and shot forth a volley of spikes. Perrine knew she could run and strafe to dodge these things, but Lynette wasn't moving. If she didn't move, she was going to die. Moving as fast as she could, Perrine sprinted to push Lyn either to safety or just into the churning waters of the Dover Strait where she'd wouldn't be as much of a sitting duck.

She pushed Lynette headlong, sending her scrambling and fumbling across stone. An explosion of unreal pain erupted in Perrine's midsection as she realized one of the spikes had pierced her, leaving an exit wound. She landed painfully on her back, and felt blood pooling around her. Awkwardly, she peered at her midsection and saw she had suffered a gut wound that she had no hope of surviving. She tried to draw breath, but it was impossible. Blood filled her mouth, and with each hitch of her chest, it spurted outwards from her lips.

People were screaming her name. Lynette was on her feet again and safe. At least Perrine's sacrifice had not been in vain. From that, she felt some sort of comfort amidst the dire pain that was above anything she had ever felt, and the strange realization that she was certainly going to die.

She felt the weight of shame fall on her as she realized she wouldn't fulfill Sakamoto's wishes... but she was excited to see her parents again.

**13**

A shard of shrapnel severed a single hair from Lynette's head as Aurora rushed past. The Suom stood at the end of the pier, at the water's edge with her arms wide open. "Come on and take a shot at me!" She challenged the Dark One, "I've faced your kind before! Where do you think I got my axe!?"

In her fear, Lynette wondered just what Aurora was trying to do. She had helped Yoshika pull a very injured Perrine away to safety in the castle. Then she had returned back to the pier. Her hands were covered with Perrine's blood from helping move her, and that was making her feel even worse.

The Dark One reacted to her challenge, firing off another salvo of spikes. Aurora sprinted away, and Lynette hoped this monster was not a good shot with moving targets. All she could do was cling to her bow with bloody hands. Her heart was hammering in her head, and drawing breath was getting harder and harder. Perrine was certainly dead because of her inability to act.

A bolt of dark material exploded very close to Aurora. The older witch screamed and skidded across the ground. She sat up and clutched a very bloody and ruined hand. From where she was standing, a short distance away, Lynette could see Aurora had lost several fingers.  
_"Vittu tätä paskaa!"_ Aurora half screamed, half spat as blood poured from her hand. She was struggling to get to her feet, rising and falling again. With another spike, she would be dead, just like Perrine. Lynette, fighting all her fears, raised her bow and placed her gloved fingers on the string... but no arrow could be conjured.

_Come on..._ she pleaded in her mind, _work, please, oh God please work! Just give me a single arrow to save my friends! To save myself! To save Britannia!_

Still, no arrow came. Lynette began to cry.

"Why can't I do it!?" She cried in frustration. Nearby, Aurora was trying to get away on her knees and the use of a single hand. Another spike exploded, peppering her bark with shards. She screamed and writhed the ground, blood pooling around her although not as much as there had been with Perrine. Lynette had talked to Aurora, about how she had fought to protect Suomus and Orussia for many years. To think that such a noble veteran witch was going to die screaming here...

Lynette wished one last time that she could fire at this Dark One like it was the many watermelons she and Aurora had wasted in her training. She could fire at the fruit like it was nothing, an effort that was nearly unconscious to her. All she had to do was visualize the arrow and...

A golden arrow of pure energy appeared at her fingertips. Her heart exploded with joy and relief as she drew it back and it let it fly. The Dark One suddenly strafed away from it, and the arrow exploded near where it had been in a glorious ball of light. Breathing heavy, Lynette felt fear be replaced with anger. This monster had hurt her friends and witches trying to save everyone, she was going to make it pay.

She conjured up another arrow, then another, and another and let them loose from _Gloryhammer_. Spikes collided with them and exploded in great conflagrations of dark and light against one another. Both arrow and spike whistled loudly, until the only sounds were explosions and their calls through the air.

Sweat poured down her face as she focused hard, trying to guide each arrow while simultaneously mustering the willpower to conjure one after another. In the Dark One's great efforts to evade her relentless counterattack, it slammed into the white-washed stone of Castle Folkestone. Stunned from the sudden collision, it wavered in place as Lynette conjured one last arrow.

It met its mark, puncturing the head of the enemy. It remained there for a brief moment, as Lynette savored victory, and then it detonated.

**14**

Perrine H. Clostermann awoke with the horrible realization that she had ended both her battles with the Dark Ones in a similar manner. Here she was in bed after blacking out somewhere in battle. However, this time she had not been victorious in the slaying of a great enemy. She had suffered a near fatal wound and was dragged away. The last thing she remembered was being pulled away in horrible pain, and thinking she was going to die.

No, either heaven looked just like her chambers in Castle Folkestone or she was still quite alive. Her room was a lovely space with a window that overlooked the garden. It consisted of a soft, large bed and many heirlooms from Gallia she had collected over the years. Her parents had been quite wealthy, but much of her wealth had been left behind when she fled. Sakamoto knew a few people back on the other side, and occasionally she was able to retrieve little heirlooms and memorabilia for Perrine.

She slowly removed the blankets from her form and winced preemptively at what the damage was. She was naked, and the only sign of her injury was a faded line on her abdomen. Surprised, she sat up and stared in amazement at her body. Besides the little line there, Miyafuji's healing magic had erased all signs of the injury. There was no pain or discomfort. She simply felt a little hungry.

Perrine put on a bathrobe and decided to leave her chambers to check on the others. She was anxious to see the results of the battle. Something told her it had been in some way a victory, or she wouldn't have woken up peacefully in her bed. She still dreaded walking into the grand hall and being told there had been casualties. Donning her slippers, she left her room and locked it. The castle was dim in the light of twilight.

The Gallian made her way to the garden, where she was sure the others would be. It was everyone's favorite spot on the castle grounds. The only one there though was Yoshika Miyafuji, snoozing peacefully with a book near her. It looked like some Fuso book on medicine from the little knowledge of the language Perrine had. Perrine felt a surge of gratitude to the small girl. It was an overwhelming sense of appreciation, and guilt for how much she had detested her previously. She knelt beside her as she slept and whispered a single word of thanks before leaving her there.

The grand hall was empty, save for a single witch snacking on an apple while lost in thought. It was Eila.

"Her healing magic is something, isn't it?" Eila said as she saw Perrine, "You're probably wondering how long you've been out. It's only been about six hours, believe it or not."

"Where are the others, are they alright?" Perrine asked her right away.

Eila hung her head low, and answered, "No one's dead, if that's what you're asking. Miyafuji spent a lot of her magic pulling you from the fringe of death. Honestly, nobody should have survived and injury like that. Then again, nobody is as hard-headed as you either."

Perrine was able to smile at the bit of teasing, "Well, I'm thankful for her skills. How is Lynette; and your sister?"

This time Eila shook her head, "Aurora isn't well. With so much of her magic spent, Miyafuji could only do so much, you know? She's bedridden right now, and after some rest Miyafuji is going to tend her fractures. She lost three fingers on her right hand though, and is never going to get them back..."

"Dearest father in Heaven..." Perrine ushered a gasp of surprise, "My prayers are with her, for what it's worth."

"I suppose prayers are all anyone of us besides Miyafuji can give her."

"What of Lynette though?"

Eila shrugged, "A few scrapes and cuts, but she's fine on the outside. She hasn't said a word, but it's obvious she's blaming herself for what happened earlier. In the end, she prevailed and saved the two of you."

Perrine was finding it a little hard not to blame the Britannian. If she had fired her bow earlier, none of this would have happened. Perrine may have lived, but it had been too close of a shave. It seemed Lynette was ready for the journey though, which was a small ray of sunshine on the cloudy day. "I'm going to go see her," Perrine said, and left Eila there.

Outside, the water was orange and red from the sunset in the horizon. The distant shores of Gallia appeared to be glowing a blood-red again. The cries of seagulls filled the air, only broken by the occasional cry of an arrow soaring through the air. The corpses of the birds were littered down the pier. At the far side stood Lynette, bow in hand, shooting the birds down like they were target practice. Perrine would have been impressed if that was not such an absolutely sociopathic act.

"Did these birds wrong you?" Perrine asked. Lynette jumped in surprise.  
"N-No... I just thought... I could use more training..." Lynette stammered, cheeks red from guilt at being caught in this cruel act. "These birds are fast, moving, and unpredictable. It... it felt like a-"

She was interrupted as Perrine slapped her hard across the face. Her face was marked with a deep scowl. Lynette fell to her knees, instantly falling into the grip of harsh tears. She was quickly sobbing, whimpering meekly, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry! I just couldn't use my magic!"

"_I was almost killed!_" Perrine screamed down at her, resisting the unladylike urge to kick her. "Aurora now has a crippled hand! I almost died saving your life!"

"I'm sorry!" Lynette cried in hysterics, "It won't happen again, I promise! I swear on the beauty of Britannia; my family; and under God it won't happen again!"

Her oath seemed sincere enough for Perrine. She knelt down and pulled the Britannian to her feet. "I'm holding you to your oath," Perrine told her, "If you ever perform like that again, you will be returning home without a second thought. You will be returning home with the shame of knowing you both broke your oath, and only hindered us."

"It won't happen!" Lynette exclaimed, "You'll see, I swear!"

**15**

A day later, in the evening, the six witches were gathered in the grand hall around a long table to discuss the next course of action. Minna sat at the head and spoke in a way that made her stress obvious, "I don't think either of the Dark One attacks that you have faced were coincidence. While the Dark Ones sometimes move erratically, I believe both of these were staged with the purpose of killing Perrine and Eila; and then Lynette and Yoshika."

The latter two shuddered at the thought of being the targets of assassination attempts.

"Neuroin's eyes are keen," Perrine murmured, "Sakamoto told me he is not oblivious to our affairs, even if the finer details of our plans will elude him. My guess is that he knows we're gathering, probably attempting something, and wants to put a stop to it. The letter Sakamoto has given me must not fall into his hands; yet I can't burn it. I need to present to it to the other four we are still to gather."

"Which puts you all at tremendous risk," Minna added gravely, "You'll need to act quickly before Neuroin can concentrate his Dark Ones upon you. Move quickly and do not speak a word to anyone not directly involved in this about where you are going or what you are doing. Lynette, I'm sorry but you cannot write to your parents about your whereabouts."

"I understand." Lynette nodded. Aurora was glaring at her with contempt as she sat brooding with a bottle of rotgut vodka. Not a word had she spoken to anyone since the battle, and was extremely reclusive. It was a stark contrast to how friendly she had been just earlier the previous day.

"Perrine, would you read Mio's note?" Minna requested.

Perrine nodded and retrieved the folded paper. She unrolled it, and read aloud,

"_The third and fourth witches required for this task are well known for their prodigious fighting capabilities. Erica Hartmann and Gertrud Barkhorn watch the Gallian border from Karlsland and will be found there. As Minna has told me, Gertrud may be hard to convince to leave her post as her sense of duty rivals that of anyone's. No witch can replace her in this, so you must do whatever needs to be done to make her leave even if it involves trickery on the part of Eila._

"_Sail to Copenhagen once more and seek the witches who reside there. A dear friend of mine, Takei Junko is there with others you can trust. I've written to her and asked her to provide you with horses to ride south through the country._

"So use a spell to cloud her mind or bewitch her," Eila concluded, "Not something I'm too comfortable doing, but if I have to..."

"No!" Minna exclaimed, "No magic will be used to force her to do anything! Gertrud Barkhorn is a friend and I won't have her mind being tricked. Mio is right though, her sense of duty and stubbornness may be an obstacle."

"Sounds like she and Perrine would get along," Eila chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah," Perrine rolled her eyes, "I'm sure she will see reason once we explain to her that our quest may involve liberating Gallia."

"_May_." Aurora spoke up finally, "Are we even sure that's what Mio Sakamoto wants? This isn't just some fuckin' fool's errand is it?"

"I trust her," was Perrine's answer, "and I know she wouldn't gather us like this if this wasn't for something big."

"She's right," Minna nodded.

"I'm not convinced," Aurora drank a shot from her bottle, "but I'm here to make sure my little sister is okay. Sanya too."

"That reminds me..." Eila took a deep breath, "Sanya, I want you to stay here in Folkestone where it's safe. If they're coming after us, I don't want you in danger!"

Sanya shook her head in protest, "What are you saying, Eila? That you don't want me with you?"

"Of course not!" Eila waved her arms defensively, "This could be very dangerous and you're too dear to me to let you be in harm's way."

"Folkestone will be much safer than your journey ahead," Minna confirmed.

"I don't care," Sanya stubbornly claimed, "I can see things from far away and can serve as the night watch. Maybe I wasn't on Mio Sakamoto's letter, but I can still be useful!"

"I would feel safer with her with us," Perrine put her opinion in.

"As would I," Aurora agreed.

"Yes, she would be a good asset," Lynette put in.

"The more the merrier!" Was Miyafuji's response.

"You're outvoted, Eila," Sanya beamed triumphantly.

Eila gave a frustrated sigh and leaned back in her seat, resting her arms behind her head, "Do whatever you want."

"It's settled then!" Perrine smiled and stood up, "Let us leave as soon as we can! With the Enemy upon us like this, we can't afford to tarry long."

**To Be Continued**

_**Author's Notes/Commentary**__- Gutsy and gory action, always a thrill to write. The fact I could weave some major character development for three characters out of a single battle is something I'm happy about. It's also the first major step in Aurora's character arc, which is a very core theme of _Bringing the Dawn_._

_But of course that's something a good reader should be able to point out on their own. I'm just echoing and enjoying the sound of my voice._

_Oh yeah, and of course I need to do this: the fight was written around the song _Wake Up Dead_ by _Megadeth_. If you read at the same pace as me, the song goes around Lynette's scene perfectly. This song also has the distinction of quite possibly being the single most fun song on guitar in the _Rockband_ game series. When I listen to it, I fondly think back to the days where I would drunkenly headbang and sing along while somehow still getting five stars on expert difficulty._


	6. Strike Witches

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Six**

**Strike Witches**

"_Fill my mug, I just want to forget  
All the troubles and fighting  
And the ghosts in my head  
Dancing and drinking  
In Buccaneers Inn  
And later tonight it's time for sin_

_No need to worry the future  
Let's live the moment  
It's our time we are not going to waste it  
The morning seems like torment._"

-_Buccaneers Inn_ by _Battlelore_

**16**

In the ruined streets of Paris, emaciated citizens resided in the shadows of the Black Castle far above, beneath a red sky and dark clouds that seemed to come from the very depths of Hell. Amidst the rubble of the city were towers, gates, and fortifications of the nameless black substance that the Dark Lord Neuroin could conjure with his sorcery. Neuroi, and the Blackguards patrolled and kept citizens in line. Men were forced in to service, making up the military force of Neuroin beyond the mindless creations he's ushered to battle. The women toiled in the fields, and disease and swept the land in the form of the Black Death.

This didn't bother Neuroin and his generals, as each and every man, woman, and child were as disposable as the 'Dark Ones' they so feared. The Blackguards were mostly Gallian men, along with Karlslanders who had forsaken both God and country to serve Neuroin. They were spared his wrath, given his mercy, and kept fed and tended for. Neuroi were basically mindless, and beyond their ability to sense witches, were not useful in all regards. Blackguards could march as armies against Karlsland. To the south, Neuroin's influence was beginning spread to hearts and minds of the people of Rome as well. Britannia and Karlsland were the last real obstacles, as the northern lands were too devoid of people and held little value.

In the Black Castle (just one of the many things Neuroin preferred in the darkest of colors) a council of six had gathered. The Dark Lord Neuroin, his four generals - each of whom was gifted with the same sorceries as him, but in much weaker forms - and Neuroin's traitor witch adviser, who was keen on the whereabouts of witches, and their plans.

"So witches gather and move..." Neuroin spoke, his voice calm, level, but always sinister. "Not merely a cluster of Britannians to muster a defense against us, but witches from many lands. Just how would an orphaned Gallian know to find two Suoms, an Orussian, a Fuson girl, and a Britannian? A motley crew indeed. What are your thoughts, my adviser?"

While the five great men sat around war room table, the witch clung to the shadows in her white robes. Her face was hidden beneath a hood. She spoke quietly as all eyes were upon her, "A retaliation perhaps, and a force to be reckoned with, my lord. Twice now your champions have been thwarted."

"Yes, yes..." Neuroin made a pyramid with his long fingers, "This goes beyond the capabilities of my Neuroi. Strong as they are, their minds are small and simple."

Clad in dark armor, with short black hair, one of the generals spoke, "My lord, this is a problem that needs to be nipped at the bud. Do you remember all our battles before we were pushed past the Rhine? We did not see their two greatest witches: Erica Hartmann and Gertrud Barkhorn as threats and look now. They rampage across our borders with a company of Karlsland's finest soldiers and thwart us at every turn! We cannot allow such a thing to happen once more!"

"You are right, Kunze. This will be stopped immediately." Already, plans were forming in Neuroin's great mind. "Yes, Kunze, Barkhorn... the one with the golden spear. If they're gathering witches for some great conspiracy, she no doubt will be involved. Yet, there are other great witches across the world. Each of you will travel to intercept them wherever they may go. Jaeger Kunze, you shall be tasked with stopping them shall they travel to the great deserts of Afrika to recruit that wretched Marseille. She is second only to Barkhorn and must not be allowed to aid them. Kill her if the opportunity presents itself."

"At once, my lord!" General Jaeager Kunze stood up and bowed. He called upon his dark magic and vanished from the room, no doubt to gather soldiers or Neuroi to aid him.

"Now, now..." Neuroin's eyes gazed upon the other three. He extended a finger towards a foreign man, shorter than the rest and dressed like the witch nearby; only in darker colors. "Hayashi, you will go to Fuso. Although their journey there would be long and treacherous, I know there are great Fuso witches who call that place home. Alexi, you shall go to Orussia were they to gather allies from there."

"Yes our lord!" Alexi and Hayashi said at once, and disappeared as well.

That just left Jarri Siilasvuo, Neuroin's second most esteemed human ally. His greatest was Jaeger Kunze, who despite preferences in young women which were appalling, was an expert tactician and unparallelled fighter. Siilasvuo was a tall man with light hair, younger than the rest. "My lord," He said and stood up. Unarmored, he wore light colored robes and stood out from everything else in Gallia now, "Where shall I go?"

"Copenhagen, to stop them from finding Barkhorn by traveling from the north. You are the most skilled, so you shall take the route they would likely follow."

Jarri looked unsure, "My lord... among them is Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen. She is a member of the Northern Order; a wizard like me. I am forbidden to harm another member."

Neuroin glared death at the wizard, "Your order has crumbled; its members scattered; and your teachings rendered obsolete under our new rule! This Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen is nothing to you but another enemy. Were you not to strike her down, she would kill you first. That is how war is fought, Siilasvuo."

"Nay," He shook his head, "I know this girl. I was there for her trials, my lord. We may not have been close friends, but we were bonded as both being part of the Order. She was the youngest to ever join our ranks, barely surviving the trials. But while her magic was enough to allow her to join the Order, she's still little more to a puppy to us wolves of the Order."

"All the more reason for her to die. I do not want this puppy growing to a biting wolf," Neuroin's patience was thinning. "She may be the greatest ally they have right now next to the Gallian organizing this conspiracy. If I am to learn either of them live and pass into the mainland of Karlsland, it'll be you who takes their place in Hell!"

**17**

Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen's dreams were troubled and restless, as they often were. Her mind took back to the wizarding trials of the Northern Order. She remembered in her dreams the feelings of having her body and mind broken through hellish torment meant to bring out the ability conjure magic from ancient writings. Her dreams took her back to the pleasant in-betweens of that time. Holding Sanya's hand as she recovered from pain that made her beg for death as a substitute.

She woke from her dreams that morning. They had spent the day before on foot marching to London to take a ship from there to Copenhagen. There weren't enough steeds in Folkestone for everyone, and they had decided it was better for everyone to walk than just a couple of them. They had stopped at a roadside hostile near London, making plans to head out at first light. The sun had just risen, which meant it was time for them to be leaving soon.

Sanya had taken night watch. Minna and Perrine believed they wouldn't be safe anywhere. Eila passed her on the way to the outhouse out back, and a simple warning was passed from her, "There's a line."

"Great," Eila huffed, seeing for herself in just a few moments. She was still drowsy from sleep, and desperately needed to pee. There was indeed a line, Perrine in the front, followed by Aurora and Lynette which meant...

"Hurry up, Miyafuji!" Perrine cried, banging on the outhouse door with her fist. Her legs were crossed and she was doing a little dance.

"I can't go any faster!" Came the young voice of the Fuson girl.

Eila yawned and stood in the dew covered lawn. It was a beautiful morning, with sun shining through the mist and a cool breeze blowing on group. There was certain thrilling feeling in her heart. It was the start of a great journey, no matter how dangerous. She couldn't help but smile that morning, standing in line for the outhouse as Perrine more frantically banged on the door and Lynette whined, "Yoshika, please hurry!"

Aurora shouted, "Come on! Is this the piss that time forgot!?"

The door burst open, and Miyafuji shuffled out. She was still in her pajamas, a yukata that ended above the knees. She was woefully embarrassed, stammering, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I just drank so much morning tea!"

Perrine darted in next, and everyone else sighed in relief as the line got shorter. Miyafuji, red to her cheeks passed the line then stopped when she saw Eila.

"Eila-san," She said, examining her almost affectionately.

"Eila-what?" Eila cocked her eyebrow, not liking this, "What do you want? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Oh, I... I..." She stammered further and awkwardly blurted out, "I just thought you looked really pretty this morning."

Eila was speechless at the sudden compliment, "Ah... t-thanks..." Now she was blushing, looking the other way. It looked to her like Lynette was jealous of that compliment. Perrine passed them and Aurora grumbled, "Finally..." and went next.

"Good work with your healing magic the other day," Eila told her, smiling encouragingly, "I don't usually say it, but that was top-notch work. You saved two lives."

"It wasn't anything like what my mother can do," Miyafuji replied, beaming at the praise, "but thank you so much! Honestly, I'd feel better if I never had to use this magic in the first place."

"I know what you mean," Eila nodded.

Ahead of them, Lynette hung her head low. She had no place in that conversation. There was nothing positive to say about her performance in that fight even if she had been the victor.

Aurora was out of the outhouse quickly and snidely shot at Lynette, "Better let Eila go first. Who knows how long you'll stand there afraid, you know, not doing anything..."

Lynette made a noise like a little gasp, and stood speechless. Her eyes were watering with tears.

"Don't say that, Aurora!" Miyafuji jumped to her friend's aid, "If she hadn't beat back that Dark One, you wouldn't have made it!"

"If she had fired her damned bow and arrow," Aurora raised her right hand, which only had her thumb and forefinger now, "I'd have my whole hand!"

"That's not fair to put that on her!" Eila stood in now. She smelled something on Aurora's breath, even a meter away. "Aurora, have you been drinking? It's still morning!"

"So!?" Her sister shouted, "Who cares if it is? At least it's not making me take thirty minutes to pee!"

"Get off it!" Eila raised her voice to match her sister's yelling, "Leave Yoshika and Lynette alone. They haven't done a thing."

"Neither did you! I didn't see you helping with your oh-so-powerful magic in that fight. Didn't see Sanya either. You two getting friendly while I'm out blee-"

She was interrupted with a loud slap from her sister. Aurora responded with a hard left fist directed at Eila's face. Eila's true magic, not her wizarding magic, but her witch magic came forth. She saw the fist coming before it was there and easily sidestepped it. With her future-seeing magic, she could dodge any slow, angry fist. The two other girls gave cries of fear and staggered back away from Aurora.

Aurora stood there with her fist still out where it had missed. She lowered it and suddenly ran away from the three of them, beginning to cry at what she had done.

**18**

Perrine had been preparing and gathering her things from the journey when everyone returned from the morning outhouse exodus. Eila and Miyafuji looked quite uncomfortable; Lynette seemed like she wanted to lie down and not get back up; and there was no sign of Aurora.

"Did... something happen?" she asked the group. All she got was frustrating series of mutters and shrugs. Perrine really hoped the rest of the group had a sense of duty like hers that would keep them going even if they ended up all hating one another. She had her frustrations, but Perrine didn't hate any of them. Miyafuji was an uncultured raccoon-dog who had no right getting so close to Sakamoto, but she was a wonderful healer who had saved two of their lives. Lynette's fears and nerves may have nearly spelled disaster, but she was still a fine young lady who was deeply remorseful for her failure in that fight. Eila was arrogant, crass, and disrespectful, but her heart was always in the right place and she did seem to care for everyone around her in her own way. As for her sister, Perrine felt after how much the battle had shaken her up, it would be polite to withhold any sort of judgments on her character.

They made way towards London down a lane with two great ruts in it. While Folkestone felt like home, it was quite nice to be on the road again. The morning felt like an apt metaphor, for this was the true start to their journey. Tracing the border of Karlsland to find the two witches was going to be a daunting task. They would be marching through nothing short of a war zone against the Dark Ones. Meanwhile, it was nothing but pleasant and relaxing out.

"The plan," Perrine spoke as they walked together, "is to stay a night in London. Our ship to Copenhagen leaves tomorrow afternoon. For those who haven't made this journey, it's about a week sailing there. We will travel the Danish kingdom of Baltland to Flensburg, gather our supplies for the journey ahead, along with horses, and head due south. While the lands north of Gallia are not under Neuroin's control directly, I know the Country of Holland pays tributes and they are all directly in the shadow of Gallia. They will not open their arms to us, and we will ride along their border until the Karlsland meets Gallia. Once we have what we came for, the long trek south into Romagna will begin."

"I have a question," Lynette said.

"Yes?"

"How will we cross the Swiss Alps? Are we going to just march over them?"

Perrine nodded, "Yes, the only other way was to go around them and sail across the south from Gallia; which is obviously off limits to us. There are other ways, yes, from the east across the Adriatic into Gallia but that would take months. Hannibal of the Carthaginians did this, and so can we."

"This all sounds so exciting!" Miyafuji exclaimed, "I never dreamed I would travel across Europe and mountains like this when I left Fuso."

"This is my first time leaving Britannia, truth be told," Lynette smiled dreamily. "I'm quite nervous, but at the same time excited. To think, in just a day's time we will be sailing the North Sea and I will be seeing things I have never seen, nor has anyone in my lineage has seen save my _Nana_ when she set out with _Gloryhammer_."

Aurora, who was carrying Sanya on her back as she slept, joined the conversation, "Let's see... I've been through most of the Nordic lands: Orussia, Karlsland, and Ostmark. I was down in Romagna for a short while back before returning to Suomus a couple years ago."

"I haven't heard that story," Eila admitted, looking a little surprised. "What were you doing in Romagna?"

"Work," Aurora shrugged and left it at that.

"This is my first time traveling so abroad as well," Perrine said. "I started this journey about two months ago. This feels like its true start though, for I'm no longer alone and not nearly as afraid. Our goal seems so close, and for once I can feel a strong flicker of hope."

"Then," Eila smiled, and skipped forward in front of all of them, "our company needs a name! We can't just be 'the group'. People will wonder who we are, and while we can't say what we're doing, they can at least have a name call us by!"

"That's a wonderful idea!" Lynette cheered, but suddenly her enthusiasm was dampened, "Oh... but I'm no good at names. I once had a puppy and I had to have my papa name him for I couldn't think of a name even after three whole weeks!"

"Hmm..." Miyafuji wondered, "Sakamoto is the one who put this all together, right? Her note is what brought us here so... why not be her army? _Sakamoto's Army_!"

Perrine instantly said no to that idea, but smiled, "It's a kind thought to make our name her tribute. We do not know where she is at though, and if the enemy has eyes on her, openly associating ourselves could be dangerous to her."

"You're right," Eila agreed, "I suggest our name to be _Sumussa Hämärän Aamun_! It makes sense as our journey takes place this misty morning."

"Yeah, it makes sense to _you_," Perrine frowned. "Sounded like nonsense to the rest of us."

"_Suomtroll_?" Aurora suggested, making horns with the pinky and forefinger of her left hand.

"No trolls!" Perrine shivered, thinking back on bad memories. "Let's see... a name... a name... The only names I can think of are in Gallian."

"So say them in English," Eila suggested.

Perrine shook her head, "They don't translate well."

Sanya, who everyone had assumed to be asleep, sleepily murmured in her quiet voice, "What about the _Strike Witches_?"

"I like it," Lynette said.

"It gets my vote," Aurora agreed.

Miyafuji and Eila agreed it was a suitable name as well. It was simple, but effective, and seemed to portray exactly what their purpose was. A strike team of elite witches for a mission so secret even they weren't in on it.

"_The Strike Witches,_" Perrine said, and drew her rapier to gaze upon its point. "Well, come then, _Strike Witches_! London awaits us, and then the sea. We may have had our differences, or conflict, but I would not travel with any other company! We go in friend and fellowship!"

She put her hand out, and instantly Eila put hers over it. Aurora's larger left hand went over theirs; then Yoshika's smaller one went over hers; and Lynette's over hers and finally Sanya's pale hand to complete it.

**19**

The company of witches reached London before noon, and found the establishment they were to spend the night at. It was a higher-end, expensive place called _Buccaneer's Inn_ near the River Thames. It was a four story building with a tall ground floor. There was much room for dancing, and musicians were paid handsomely to perform for the guests. As witches, they were eagerly welcomed, and Perrine was easily able to pay the tab.

Even when evening came about, Buccaneer's Inn was bright and well-lit from many candles, lanterns, a great fireplace, and a candelabra above. It felt more like a ballroom to Perrine than an inn, unlike the many she had stayed at on her journey to Suomus. She often considered inns and taverns to be seedy, horrible places that were always dark and loathsome. This place, however, changed her mind entirely. The tables were arranged around the edges of the main floor, while the center was used for dancing and mingling.

She looked about and smiled. Before the journey to the sea began, they all had a moment to relax and have a bit of fun. She saw Eila and Sanya dancing together to a slow song. The two of them were very graceful, and beautiful together. They caught the eyes of many, with their gray and silver hair making them exotic to the Britannians. Hauntingly beautiful, they were like ghosts. Their travel clothes had been replaced with dresses from Orussia. Perrine guessed they had been in Sanya's possession. Eila's was black, and contrasted very strongly against her pale skin and hair. Sanya wore a green that matched her eyes.

Aurora sat to one side with Yoshika, telling her some story that had her laughing so hard tea was coming out of her nose.

There was one left out, Perrine realized. Where was Lynette? This should have been her element, as Perrine knew her family was quite wealthy and refined. She searched for her, as she was not on the ground floor. She was not in her room, nor in any of the balconies or halls on the upper levels. Perrine found her outside near the river, in a bright green dress like Sanya had been wearing. Her hair was worn down, and at first Perrine almost didn't recognize her. She felt over dressed in her traveling garb, her light armor still worn and the rapier still at her belt. Normally this sort of setting would warrant fine dressing, but Perrine didn't carry with her beautiful Gallian clothes.

"Lynette," Perrine made her presence known, and stood beside her, looking into the flowing river. "I didn't see you inside with the others. You should enjoy yourself before we march leave tomorrow. Seafaring is a very dull and miserly experience for women, and I very much doubt our journey on foot will be feature much more merrymaking."

"I don't much feel like dancing and fun," Lynette sighed, "My failures are still a very heavy burden. A-Aurora... she keeps staring at me with daggers in her eyes. She never speaks to me, unless it's to hurt me with her words. I don't want to be in the same room as her. I know if I were to enjoy myself, she would find the words to cut me down."

"I won't let her," Perrine held her hand. Lynette's hand was very thin and smooth, with fair skin. Perrine's hands were calloused from sword fighting, and seemed much rougher than hers.

"You're very kind," Lynette said. Her features lightened, like a burden had been lifted within her. "Would you dance with me, Perrine? You're very lovely, and I have seen your grace. It would be an honor to say that I have danced with Perrine Clostermann."

Perrine smiled and shook her head, "Your words are very kind, but I am not the renowned figure you're making me out to be. I'd be quite out of place in the Gallian courts as I am now. My grace lies in battle, not dancing, but I would gladly cherish this opportunity."

Hand in hand they walked back to Buccaneer's Inn. Lynette was a couple inches taller than Perrine, who at 152cm was shorter than all but Yoshika Miyafuji. Beside Lynette and her green dress and fair and pretty hair, Perrine felt a bit rugged. She was still in her travel-worn clothes; her high boots stained with weather and walking; her hands were calloused; and her hair was windswept still from the journey before that day.

Inside, the two felt relief as they saw that both Aurora and Yoshika had left. Eila and Sanya were still dancing, and everyone there was having a good time. The music was fast-paced, up tempo, and inspiring everyone to sing and dance. Together the lovely and colorful patrons sang,

"_Beyond the shores, before our wars_

_There was a lady fair, eyes of blue and gold was her hair._

_A touch as soft and loving as no other,_

_Sent brother fighting for her love his own brother!_

"_'Lay down ye arms!' cries our lady_

_'Harm each other not for my favor_

_For my presence ye each shall savor!'_

"_Oh lady we beg, come to us and dance!_

_Come to us and dance!_

_Oh lady we beg!"_

Lynette and Perrine danced with one another beside Eila and Sanya. The song was fast and joyful, and their movements were quick and playful. It was easy to let go, have fun, and move along with the music. The fact the music and songs were not privy to slow dances was something Perrine welcomed. She wanted to do dance for fun and little else, and a romantic groove with Lynette was not what she sought at all.

Eila spoke to a couple of the musicians, one of which looked distinctively Suomish. They were discussing a song to play, and he quickly relayed the sort of notes and tempo Eila wanted to the rest. He was playing the drums. The song was Suomish in sound, with fast drums and the melodies being handled by the fiddles. It was easy to dance to, and Eila sang the words. Suomish was a pretty language and lent itself well to song. She sang a happy song of life on the road and seeing new places.

**20**

A fancy inn and merry song and dancing didn't appeal to Aurora. She preferred songs in English least of all to the many languages she spoke. Suomish, Swedish, Orussian, and parts of Danish, she had fought alongside many witches from many lands and had learned bits and pieces from their tongues. The languages of the world were so close to one another and Aurora found once she learned two, the third came easy, and the fourth even easier. She was only fluently spoken in four, but knew parts of many others. However,

"Say something!" Aurora encourage Yoshika.

"Ehh," Yoshika blushed and thought for a moment, "_Anzuru yori umu ga yasushi._ ."

Aurora laughed, "It's like you're a little bird chirping! Haha, I love it!"

"Thank you, I think," Yoshika replied, her blush still on her cheeks. "I didn't think Fuson was a very interesting language, not compared to the lovely tongue of Suomish. I've listened to you and your sister speak it to one another, and it's very beautiful to listen to."

"But there's nothing like Fuson in this part of the world!" Aurora exclaimed. "Along our journey, you have to teach it to me. That Perrine's face would contort like wood burning if she learned that I could speak to Mio Sakamoto in her home's tongue while she could not."

"I wouldn't want to hurt her feelings like that," Yoshika said, "and Perrine speaks a little of our language. If I were to teach you, I'd want to teach her as well. She'd appreciate it, and be less likely to scold or be angry with me."

"Oh forget her," Aurora said with a wave of her hand. "Fretting and worrying all the time. In Suomus we sauna, we drink, and we forget our worries until they swing against us. So forget her, and tell me more of your homeland!"

The two of them were on the upper levels of Buccaneer's Inn in Aurora's room. They were at the window, looking out at London. Aurora had with her a bottle of wine, and had drank so much that day that she was having trouble standing now. Earlier she had provoked the entire company of Strike Witches into giving her the cold shoulder, but Yoshika seemed the least capable of bearing ill-will. Young and eager to help and make friends, Aurora had taken a bit of a liking to her.

She listened intently as Yoshika told her about Fuso. The land was more exotic than anything she had ever dreamed of. Yoshika told her of tea ceremonies, sukiyaki, the folding of metals to make swords, naginatas, kimonos, rice-farming.

"You've never had rice!?" Yoshika gasped in amazement.

"Nope," Aurora replied, shaking her head and smiling. "And you've never been to a sauna!?"

"Nope," Yoshika repeated her gesture. "It's like we grew up in completely different worlds. Suomus sounds so cold and harsh, but at the same time I'd love to visit and learn about it."

"I would take you there," Aurora told her, "and show you everything great. On a reindeer sled we could enjoy hot ciders on the lakes of ice. In the summer we could dance in the warm fields under the influence of summer wines."

"I'm not for drinking, but that all sounds so lovely. If that's the case, I'll take you to Fuso. You can eat sukiyaki with me, and meet my family in our mountain village. We run a clinic, and even if my mother and grandmother could not fight the Dark Ones, their healing magic has not aged a day! If you came in the spring, you could see the cherry-blossoms bloom and shower us like rain with their pedals."

"Yes, once our quest is over," Aurora held Yoshika's hand in hers. Yoshika's hand was small and smooth, while Aurora's was large; calloused; scarred; and missing three fingers. Yoshika put her other hand over Aurora's holding it tight and closely. "I'd love to go to Fuso with you," Aurora told her, "and show you my own homeland. As we journey, I'd also like to learn more about Fuso, your language, and about you as well. Neither of us see ourselves as unique nor interesting, but to the other we're from different worlds. I'm ten years your senior, a veteran witch who has fought many battles, yet I feel closer to you than the others."

"I feel the same, and even if you dislike her I feel the same about Lyn as well. I only fear that I'll be torn between friendships, and lose one or both."

Aurora patted her head affectionately and disagreed, "No. Yes, I don't like Lynette one bit, and the price of associating myself with her was three fingers, but for your sake I won't fight with her. As it is though, I need to sleep and so should you. The journey ahead is going to be taxing physically and mentally. I fear this could be my last great campaign, but to see Fuso, I'll see it through no matter.. Good night and sleep well, Yoshika Miyafuji, pal."

"You as well, Aurora Juutilainen, my new friend," Yoshika hugged her larger, muscled form briefly and set off for her own room and bed. Both their spirits were higher than they had been. All of the Strike Witches had gone to bed in far better moods. Buccaneer's Inn and the company of one another had washed away despair and dread like mud to a river.

The journey, and the hardships that lied ahead, would continue in the morrow.

**To Be Continued**

_**Author's Notes/Commentary**__- The song that is quoted at the beginning is a good listen, but doesn't quite fit the tone of the chapter. If you want an idea of what kind of song Eila was singing, I had something like _Keep On Galloping _by _Korpiklaani _in mind. If only so I could recommend a song with that singer three times now. The song sung by the Britannians was written by me._

_A little bit of history. That scene there with Aurora and Yoshika heavily channels the spirit of a Dungeons and Dragons game I would play over skype with some pals. I played Aurora and Eila in it in a fantasy setting (half the reason I started this story was to write for them again) and another guy played Yoshika. My version of Aurora in that was similar to this one only ten times grittier and meaner. However, her and Yoshika sort of had a really sweet relationship. It was a cool dynamic, this drunken mean-ass frenzied berserker and this timid, shy and younger cleric girl getting along because they were so different. _


	7. The Affairs of Wizards

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Seven**

**The Affairs of Wizards**

"_So come take a drink and drown your sorrows  
And all of our fears will be gone til tomorrow  
We'll have no regrets and live for the day  
In Nancy's Harbour Cafe."_

-_Nancy the Tavern Wench_ by _Alestorm_

**21**

For most of her life, Sanya had been nocturnal. She couldn't remember when it had started, but at some point she had grown to love the twinkling stars and shy away from the brightness of the sun. Her magic let her know the presence of anything lurking in shadows, and her night-eyes pierced darkness better than most. She loved to drift through the night, her pale form shining like a ghost under the moon. In this setting, she played her role of night's watch better than anyone could. Above the comfort she felt in solitude and walking the night, she felt useful as well; appreciated and loved beyond Eila's normal overbearing affection. Eila and her feelings were always a bit of a mystery to Sanya. Eila was very dear to her, and it wasn't until Perrine pointed it out that Sanya realized that Eila strained her sleeping patterns to stay up as long as she could with her. It made Sanya feel a little guilty that Eila would strive to stay with her past midnight, and only catch a few fleeting hours of sleep because of it. She took long naps, living off strange intervals of six hours of waking, six hours of sleeping, the another six hours of waking.

Evening was drawing over London, bringing with it cold fog and mist. Sanya felt comfortable in the chill as she sat in the near empty main room of Buccaneer's Inn. She sipped gently at tea, while eating before bed as she always did. This morning it was blueberries, recommended by Lynette who said they were good for her eyesight. While Sanya's eyesight rivaled that of a cat's in the dark, she didn't see any reason it couldn't improve. She hummed a song to herself as she ate, and inconspicuously watched the few others who were up that morning. They did not bother her, as few did. Her ghostly, pale demeanor seemed to put people off for better or worse.

They seemed like average folk. Merchants and maidens waking early for the day ahead. All seemed entirely mundane but a single man who dressed in white robes trimmed with a sky blue. He looked like he was from a northern country, with light, fair hair that was worn long. Sanya recognized him from somewhere, but she couldn't recall where. Not only was he out of place, but his blue eyes had been upon Eila most of the night when they had been dancing. Eila may not have noticed it, but nothing made it past Sanya without her noticing. Even in her sleep, she heard the sounds around her and remembered them upon waking.

She had almost forgotten about him upon finishing her tea when he approached her and sat close by. With a friendly look on his face, he said, "Alexsandra Litvyak! Such a coincidence to meet you here in London. It's been years since we last saw one another, but I doubt you remember my face from the many others. I know you do not go by Alexsandra, was it Alexsa? Sandra?"

"Sanya," she answered quietly. "I fear I do not remember you, yet your face is familiar."

"Jarri Siilasvuo," he told her. "I was there for your friend's trials into the Northern Order. Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen. You were but a child then I believe, but look at you now, a fine young woman. I have been here since yesterday, and I have seen you and Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen here. Not just you two, but the company of several others. All witches too. Such a curious thing, I wonder what you could be doing together?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," her voice was sleepy, and she was on edge with this encounter. Beyond his friendly visage, she knew there was something else. This was not a chance meeting, for better or worse. "It is also curious to see a wizard of the Northern Order here. We briefly saw one of the Southern Order. Eila would be glad to know how the Order fares, as she has not heard from anyone of it for some time now."

Jarri Siilasvuo sighed and shook his head, his expression grave now, "That is part of the reason I seek her. Our numbers dwindle further and further as our kind meet strange and untimely ends. I do not know the fates of any others in our Order other than her. As for those of the south, I know they still live on but no longer consort with one another. They resided in Rome, but the city is torn in political, did you know?"

"I did not."

"Ah, it is quite the tale! Would you hear it?" He asked her.

"I would," Sanya answered, her face still neutral and sleepy. "My ears hear and catch all around me. I may come to Romagna in my travels, and it would be good to know what may lay in store."

"Excellent!" The wizard exclaimed, "My current companions care little for the affairs of wizards, and it would be good to tell the story. I have always been a lover of tales, and when I greet Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen I am sure many stories between us will be told. Alas though, Rome is torn in a political battle for the hearts of the people. Neuroin wishes to gain power there against the current ruling family and the underground Thieves Guild. With no use of his Neuroi..."

_He referred to the Dark Ones in their true name,_ Sanya realized with a sense of dread. No man did such a thing as their name was offensive.

"...Neuroin sent a contingent of many men to spread his word and gain influence. Many submitted, because power always attracts followers. The ruling family has accepted him, but still keep the Blackguard's influence a safe distance away. The city, however, is in the grips of something you could perhaps call a war. A witch, known as the Queen of Thieves rallied those who opposed Neuroin with her and from the shadows conduct a battle in the shadows Neuroin's followers. The wizards of the Southern Order took different sides, and were torn apart by the conflict. Many the wizards of have left the city in exile as the bonds and oaths of brother and sisterhood were broken."

"Which side have you taken?" Sanya asked him.

Jarri's lips curved into a slight smile, and he laughed softly for a moment before standing up. Walking away, he answered, "The winning one, my friend."

**22**

Miserable was how Perrine felt aboard the _Wife Back Home_. Several days, and midway through their journey to Denmark, the waters had been unusually rough. Down below deck, she rested on a hammock, trying to keep her breakfast down. She had done a better job far than Lynette, whose seasickness left her lying debilitated beside a wooden bucket that the contents of her stomach paid frequent visits to. Eventually Perrine mustered the courage and sealegs to wander topside to see how the others were doing.

"Perrine, good to see you," Yoshika greeted her. She, being from Fuso, was used to being at sea. Aurora was too, and in the past days since they had set out from Folkestone, the two had become fast friends.

"And you," Perrine replied, meaning the words to some extent. After being below deck essentially alone, even Yoshika seemed like fine company. Today it was a cloudy, windy day and they were still a couple away from Copenhagen. It was good to at least see the ocean again though, instead of just listen to it grind against wood.

"Hey, Gallian," Aurora greeted her too. She patted her shoulder heavily with her good hand. "_Hajimemashite, Aurora desu; Douzo yoroshiku_? How was that, Yoshika?"

"Great!"

Perrine smiled; she thought Yoshika teaching her language to Aurora to be quite touching. "_Ohayo gozaimasu, kyou no tenki wa dou desu ka?_" She spoke to Yoshika, using what Fuson she had learned from Sakamoto.

Yoshika relayed the question to Aurora, "She wants to know how the weather is going to be?"

Aurora shrugged, "Hell if I know. See the clouds? Maybe they'll rain on us, maybe they'll leave us alone. Not even Eila's magic can predict that."

Perrine had simply used that phrase because it was one of the few Fuson phrases she knew, not that she was particularly concerned about the weather. Her concerns lay elsewhere. There was something that had been rolling around in her head while she was hammock-ridden and ill. She wondered about what their journey down the borders of Karlsland would be like. One thing stood out above all else. There were no doubt going to be Gallians who fought for Neuroin opposing them along the way.

"Aurora," Perrine said. The three of them stood at the helm of the _Wife Back Home_, gazing off into the distance. "I wonder, have you fought the Blackguards? Those who raise their blades and banners for Neuroin?"

Aurora's face was grim, and her knuckles whitened as her fists gripped at the side of the ship. "That's a sore subject, Gallian," she answered.

"W-wait, we won't be fighting _people_ will we?" Yoshika asked.

"We might," Aurora sighed. "As a witch in my prime, I focused either on Dark Ones or Neuroin's officers in Orussia. The axe I swing was taken from a man."

"Why people though!?" Yoshika grabbed onto Aurora's arm, "Sakamoto never said I'd have to witness war like this! I came here to help against the Dark Ones, not help men fight wars!"

Perrine answered, "Neuroin offered them a verdict. Either to serve his army or slave away to build monuments to him or work in fields that seldom bear harvests after the Dark Ones pollute the land. He cares nothing for us humans, but we can do things that Dark Ones cannot. Their numbers, while easy to replace, are not limitless either. They're either used to lure us witches out, or kill us. They are not capable of intelligence beyond simple commands as far as we know. They can sense our magic from great distances, from what Minna has told me recently, and use that to track us, but they cannot wage war."

"That's right," Aurora continued. "There's a lot of snap decisions that need to be made in a battle, and to wage war. If a battle starts to go south, or you find yourself on the losing end, you may need to fall back, regroup, and re-plan. The Dark Ones aren't smart enough to do that, and will fight until completely diminished. They can't plan particularly complex ambushes, or avoid them. For soldiers fleeing, they're easy to give the slip. Don't think they're useless, as their fighting power and weapons of burning energy best most men, but they cannot win any war alone."

"I don't know much about war," Yoshika said in a weak voice. "I know about medicine and tending to injuries. It doesn't matter what side of Gallia men are fighting on or for, I'll help anyone who is in danger."

Aurora snorted in disapproval, "I hope they're that nice back to you."

Perrine placed a gentle hand on Yoshika's head and smiled fondly, "I would rather not fight my countrymen if I could help it. However, I know there are those whose allegiance is to Neuroin rather than Gallia or her people. Your mercy and kindness to my people is appreciated though. I fear I misjudged you in Britannia, Yoshika Miyafuji, I'm growing fond of you. I still owe you for saving my life."

"You're too kind!" The young girl beamed. "Please, there are no debts between us, Perrine. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be able to set out on this journey and see places I've seen, or make new friends like Aurora. Speaking of friends, I hope Lyn is feeling better."

"I as well," Perrine sighed. "Come, let us visit her and see if we can coax her to get some fresh air."

"Do what you want," Aurora shrugged, still holding nothing but animosity towards Lynette.

**24**

Copenhagen was a walled city with only four gates in and out, beside the harbor. It was largely unaffected by the wars to the south and far east in Orussia. It was a trade hub for Baltland, northern Karlsland, Suomus, previously Gallia, Britannia and Orussia. Its location was an ideal center spot for such a thing, and the walls prevented any sort of raids for the wealth and riches the merchants within held. Politically, it was neutral entirely in the conflicts but leaned away from the dark armies of Gallia. Neuroin was bad for business.

The Strike Witches came in through the harbor at sundown, docking and setting forth at the wharfs of Copenhagen.

"We'll set out in the morning after a full night's rest," Perrine decided. "I would rather like to keep our presence on the down-low from here on out. If asked, we are a band of travelers moving towards Rome to join Neuroin's men, or the Queen of Thieves depending on who's asking."

The group reassured they understood and Perrine added, "Furthermore, let us stay somewhere least likely to attract attention. Which means everyone, including myself, must lower their standards for where we sleep tonight."

"For once I wish I could be like you, Sanya," Eila sighed.

Sanya smiled, "You look good in the sun Eila. Night doesn't suit you."

"I know a good place," Aurora spoke up. "_Nancy's Harbor Cafe_. I've stayed there years back. It's a dark, dirty place filled with lowlifes and scum but nobody give you a second thought. It's also one of the few English speaking place here too."

The Strike Witches followed Aurora to an inn on the waterfront that looked like it was falling apart at the foundation. Dark and smelling of salt, booze, and sweat; the place was the last sort of establishment Perrine thought she'd find herself in.  
"Stay close to me, Lynette," Perrine instructed her Britannian companion as they passed through creaking doors. The six of them kept together in pairs: Perrine and Lynette; Aurora and Yoshika; and Eila and Sanya. The inside didn't look much better than the outside. The smell was strong and detestable, as were many of the patrons. Large men and women from all regions and lands drank together with whores and wenches. Plenty of wolf-whistles were thrown their way as Aurora strut up to the bar.

"Nancy!" She called, getting the attention of the bar-maid. She was a red-headed woman, old but with no faded beauty. Her dress gave all the patrons a rather splendid view of her cleavage.

Nancy reached over the bar and pulled Aurora into a tight hug, happily exclaimed, "Aurora my lass! You never wrote to me you rotten silver-haired devil!"

"Heh heh, I'm just the worst, aren't I?" Aurora sheepishly said, her face buried in Nancy's chest. "These are my friends, some travelers I'm heading south with. We need a place for the night, and some privacy."

"Then you came to the right place, sweetheart!" Nancy let her go and gazed to the rest. "Such a strange crew you have there, Aurora. Is that one your sister? She looks like you."

"We get that a lot, but no," Aurora lied. "This is a friend I met in Turku."

Nancy saw through their game, and smiled and winked, "Yes, yes, I see how it is. They must count themselves lucky, traveling among a witch! If only there were others among you, then the road would be much safer, wouldn't it?"

"I suppose..." Perrine was the one who answered, shifting uncomfortably. She didn't quite trust Nancy, and she had the strangest feeling she was being watched.

"Last time my lass Aurora here came and visited, she was with eleven others. All witches, heading to fight in Orussia. They were a merry company, and didn't look as frightened as you all look. Say, Aurora, where'd all those gals get to? You were all the best of pals!"

"Gone," the veteran witch answered. "These is my new company. This isn't for mercenary work this time."

Aurora turned around to face the others. "So, we'll be here tonight," she said. "You can trust Nancy. Secrecy is her forte."

None of them were quite convinced.

"There's the matter of payment," Nancy spoke up, tugging at Aurora's arm.

"We have gold," Perrine told her, provoking eyes from all around her. Darkly, she added, "And a trail of dead would-be thieves behind us as well. As the weapons we carry with us have been tried and tested in war."

The patrons of Nancy's Harbour Cafe muttered and went back to their drinks and conversation between each other.

"Gold ain't what I'm after," Nancy winked, tugging at Aurora again. "I'm sure this pretty lass here and I could strike up a deal in private. The rest of you need not worry a thing! Remember, Aurora, you still owe me for letting you stay here when-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Aurora cut her off quickly.

"Aurora?" Yoshika's voice came as she remained close to Aurora's side. "Is this going to be-?"

Aurora nodded and cut her off, "Y-Yeah, yeah, we'll figure something out. Everyone go and get settled in and get to bed early, we have a big day tomorrow!"

Her mock-cheeriness was not unnoticed. "Do what you want," Eila rolled her eyes. "Just don't give us the details."

Nancy showed them to their rooms. Each was small, but cozy and private which was about what they needed. Perrine resigned to sleeping early, skipping dinner. Lynette did the same, and Yoshika stayed with the other three. She was extremely uncomfortable, and wished they could be back in Folkestone or London. Yoshika kept close to Eila and Sanya while Nancy held a conversation in Danish with Aurora. The older woman was rubbing Aurora's arm affectionately with a strange gleam in her eye. Aurora was drinking straight whiskey and looked as uncomfortable as Yoshika felt about all this. A black pit of dread was weighing in her gut.

Heavy with anxiety, Yoshika went to bed soon after, and slept restlessly the entire night.

Eila was next, going with her casual demeanor. Only eyes as sharp as Sanya's could tell that Eila was careworn, not carefree.

Sanya kept her usual night watch. Like a ghost, she kept in the inn's common room near the fire. Her presence went more or less entirely unnoticed by the sailors and thugs who spent the night drinking there. She watched Aurora go to bed at the same time as Nancy, and begrudgingly accept what that meant. She felt like this was not a price to pay, and they should have risked staying somewhere that could have attracted attention. The price for a safety precaution was too steep. But in the end, it was not up to Sanya to decide how they went about this journey.

In the inn's common room a man rested in a dark corner. He wore white robes and kept his face obscured. To any other he was a mysterious stranger, but Sanya's green eyes saw him for who he was: Jarri Siilasvuo.

**25**

They gathered the next morning outside for fresh air. Nobody had slept particularly well and were glad to be underway. Aurora seemed to have gotten the least sleep of all. On her back were her, Eila, and Sanya's things. She was going to carry Sanya in her arms, but first Sanya was to fall asleep, Aurora was taking heavy sips from the rest of her whiskey. She finished it in short time.

"Aurora?" Yoshika said, putting a concerned hand on her arm, "Are you okay? You look miserable."

"Me? Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Let's just get out of here, okay?"

Eila gazed upon her sister with cold eyes and said, "I have as much pity towards what you paid as if you had stabbed your hand with a knife."

"Hahahaha," Aurora muttered joylessly. "You can fuck yourself with that knife."

"I'm glad everyone is cheery this morning," Perrine deadpanned, frowning.

"You too, Gallian."

Yoshika, lost to all of this, asked, "J-Just what happened last night?"

"Yoshika..." Lynette put her hands on Yoshika's shoulders from behind, "...I think it's best not to ask questions right now."

"How come?" She asked, oblivious.  
"Some other time. It was just business, like back when I was a mercenary... just business," Aurora told Yoshika, and without warning scooped Sanya into arms. "Nighty-night, Sanya."

"I'm not sleepy yet," Sanya gently protested. She was lying though. There was something she wanted to tell Eila and the rest, but she couldn't remember because she was so tired. The sun was hurting her eyes and making it hard to think. Aurora's strong arms were so comfortable and protective too...

"Out like a light," Eila sighed as Sanya dozed off.

They left Copenhagen and traveled south down the main road, intending to go through Zealand to the southeast and take a boat to the mainland of Europe in southern Denmark. Lovely was an apt word to describe Denmark. From the road, they could occasionally see the coast through the trees of the forested land. The coast was broken up with low cliffs and fjords, unlike anything either Lynette or Yoshika had ever seen. It was a peaceful journey through sparse forests of beech trees. It was late March. The beeches were still barren from the winter, and the woodlands littered with a thick layer of leaves.

The first day of the journey was peaceful, and marked by the occasional passing of a town which they made a point to avoid. There were few other travelers on the road, and the sun set early prompting an early rest. They made camp a short ways off the road, hidden in a grove of beeches that grew close together. This time rest came easier after a night of campfire stories of legends and folklore of different lands. Aurora had to tell Perrine more than once to stop interrupting Yoshika's stories when she tried to apply logic or ask questions. Yoshika fell asleep against Aurora next to the fire, and the two of them were content to rest for the night beside it without any blankets.

That night, Sanya briefly saw a white-robed figure in the distance on the road.

"We're being followed," she told everyone the next morning. "A man named Jarri Siilasvuo has been tailing us since London. I don't know what he wants."

"Who is he?" Perrine asked, "Should we fear him?"

"No," Eila answered. "He's part of my order, I remember him. The fact that he hasn't come to me openly worries me a little. Still, as part of the Northern Order he is sworn in brotherhood to me, and would not harm me. He may just not trust my company, I don't know."

"What reason would he have not to trust us?" Perrine asked, a little offended.

"I just said I don't know," Eila repeated. "In any case let's move on. For all we know he could just be moving in the same direction as us. I'm almost glad in a way, I wasn't sure who of the Northern Order was still around."

"What happened to them?" Yoshika asked.

Eila shrugged, her face expressionless, "I don't know that either. There's simply just less of us. I placed our number around two-dozen or more when I first was initiated, when we last gathered a year ago, there were eight. Then we were to gather again this on the winter solstice as we do, but I was the only to arrive. I feared I was the only one left, but heard stories of wizards of my order in Karlsland."

"He said he wished to share stories with you when we spoke in London," Sanya told Eila. "Yet he said something strange. I asked him who he stands with in this war, and he merely said he's sided with the victors."

"So he's on our side?" Lynette asked.

"Has to be," Yoshika nodded happily.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Perrine said in a low voice. "There's a reason there are men who follow Neuroin. It's all a matter of perspective, and we don't know what his is."

There was not much else to say on the matter. Lynette and Yoshika were optimistic, but the truth remained to be seen. They packed up camp and took to the road again. The journey was once again light and peaceful, and even after the dreadful stay in Copenhagen, everyone's spirits were higher again. Aurora's conversation with Yoshika wasn't as vigorous, and the younger girl had been hanging back with Lynette. The two of them were enthralled with the woodlands around them, finding the scenery absolutely gorgeous.

The sun was beginning to set as they were reaching the far side of Zealand. They were close to the shore, and Aurora found a song in Danish to carry them along.

"I understood some of the words," Eila said when she finished. "It's a dancing song?"

"Something like that," Aurora chuckled, almost mischievously. It was a song of enchanting faeries and witches of old; a ballad of enticement.

At the western shores of the island of Zealand at the end of the road was a small village centered around the ferry across the Great Belt; the strait between Zealand and the island of Fyn, from which the mainland of Europe was just a short march away. Across the strait, they could easy make out the other side. The village was Korsor.

They rested at small tavern and inn called the _Havfruens Kvæd_. There was little to remember about it, besides the fact it was small and they slept three to a room on small mats of straw. The northern girls took to one room, and the other three to another. The next morning, they found the inn filled with mercenaries donned in helmets, shirts of mails, shields, and swords. They were to cross the strait and move south to sell their swords to Karlsland in the fighting from Gallia. Large and bearded, the men had fair light hair.

The Danish warriors ferried over first, so the Strike Witches had to wait a couple hours before the ferry returned. In the meantime they ate and had morning tea before finally setting across the Great Belt and ending up at Fyn. If things continued as they were they would be in Karlsland within a couple days, and once they had their horses, the journey would go much swifter.

The road took them northwest from the peninsula where the ferry left them towards the city of Odense. Even with the shackles of winter not yet shaken, it was green country with high grass through sparse wooded lands. The Strike Witches walked alongside a winding brook that followed along the road. It bubbled and babbled through a rock bed. Yoshika and Lynette skipped through it barefoot, splashing about like little kids and having fun.

"Odense is named after the All-Father, Odin," Eila told Perrine and the other two as they walked near the brook. The two stopped splashing to listen, and Aurora was hanging back with Sanya. "Odin was the first to teach the men of this land a runic alphabet, and was a great pursuer of knowledge. They say a hundred and something years ago, Odin rode with the Swedes against the Danes at the Battle of Lena. As far as I know, nobody here is much for paganism – which Perrine will be glad to know. Canute the Saint was king of Denmark centuries ago and Odense is a Roman Catholic city because of him."

Perrine _was_ glad to know that. She felt out of place in Pagan territory.

"How do you know all this?" Lynette asked.

Eila smiled, "We wizards are well educated, Lyn. I know a lot about Denmark, Orussia; and of course Suomus. Our grandfather was Danish, and told us lots of stories when we were little girls."

"It must be so wonderful to have a grandfather like that," Lynette sighed dreamily. "My family knows little outside the Bible when it comes to reading and stories. Except for the many great battles of Britannia in the past. Out here, it all seems more heroic. Even the stories of my Nana and _Gloryhammer_ seem so simple."

"The grass is always greener," Perrine said. "I'm sure by the end of this, our own stories will be told through generations."

They journeyed until sunset where they went to make camp beside a small, crystal clear lake. Again spirits were raised at the thought of bathing in the lake the next morning. So far, Denmark had felt like a nice hiking trip as opposed to a crucial mission to end the war with Neuroin. Since they had left Copenhagen, the war and fighting to the south had seldom been on any of their minds. It was peaceful and much appreciated.

With _Gloryhammer_, Lynette had shot doe wandering about near the lake. Aurora skinned, cleaned, and cooked them a dinner from it. Nobody could turn down fresh-cooked food, but neither Perrine nor Lynette had much appetite for it. Lynette was no hunter, and felt guilty with every bite and even worse when she realized how good it tasted. The group ate at the side of the lake in peace until a foreign voice spoke.

"Such a lovely day for a lake going, is it not?" It was Jarri Siilasvuo, exposing himself openly for the first time. "No doubt Alexsandra has told you of me. Her senses are sharper than any, there is no way any being could stalk you and elude her."

The group sprang to their feet, scrambling for weapons.

"No need for that," he told them in a casual, relaxed voice much like Eila's. "I'd not have bloodshed if I could prevent it. I ask a simple question to Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen. Do you fear the Dark One, Neuorin?"

Eila narrowed her eyes, frowning slightly. Her indigo irises found Sanya, and she said, "Not when some very dear to me is close by. A strange question to ask, Jarri Siilasvuo. A very strange way to greet me as well."

"These are strange times, Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen," he said. Around Eila, Perrine had her hand on her rapier, and Lynette had _Gloryhammer_. Aurora was ignoring him and grabbing her pole-axe from nearby past him. It put him between five witches and one. Unfettered, he continued, "In London your friend asked me which side I am on. I told her I side with the victors, and we both know who that is. Neuroin has a lot to offer to wizards; to men in general in a world where only women usually hold magic."

"So you've defected?" Eila spat. "I think we have nothing to discuss. Go crawling back to your master, you couldn't hope to overcome the six of us."

"Hope is not what drives my hand," Jarri Siilasvuo replied, his casual demeanor now turning grim. "Neuroin has opened something inside of me, Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, something no amount of studying and perusing through ancient writings could. You remember it, do you not? The ancient fire that burned you from the inside? The ancient fire that consumed your very being and birthed you again!? It's a fire that only comes out when your blood boils in anger, but what if you could control it!?"

Perrine thought back to a brief moment back when she first met Eila,

_Eila slammed her fists on the table. Around her, several jets of fire exploded from nothing, blasting the three of them with heat. Sanya gave a frightened yell and bounded out of the room in tears. Eila looked like she was fuming with anger. _

She remembered how Eila's eyes seemed to literally burn with anger back then. Could this be what this man spoke of?

"You're mad," Eila sneered. "You've joined Neuroin in a thirst for power. Did he come to you, or you to him I wonder?"

"He to I," Jarri answered proudly. "The other wizards cowered and feared him and were cut down. You, Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, are brave of heart and do not cower away. Neuroin sent me to end your life and stop whatever has been set into motion, but I know he would rather see you at his side. You are nothing now, Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, the last of the Northern Order save myself and fighting a losing battle. You could rule! Have power! And the safety of your sister and Alexsandra would be assured!"

Eila crossed her arms, still sneering, "Traitors have a habit of speaking with forked tongues. I doubt my transition would go as gloriously as you make it sound, nor do I believe in the safety of the two I love the most would be so sound. You have presented your offer, I refuse, now leave."

"It's not so easy," Jarri Siilasvuo's eyes began to burn like Eila's had before. "Neuroin has instructed you dead, and I gave you a second chance! Yet you spit in my face in return! Foolish little girl, you'll die along with-"

Aurora interrupted him from behind, "Hey, you forgot one thing! You do not, I repeat, you do _not_ _threaten my little sister!_"

She threw herself at him with her axe swinging to take his head off. He gracefully ducked low and sidestepped, sending Aurora tumbling past him clumsily before Eila. His hand raised and from it shot a burst of bright flames. The flames engulfed Aurora from the side, sending her right half up in a blaze. She screamed, a horrible shriek of agony that was burned into the minds of the five just like the fire was burning her skin. Clumsily she flailed around as skin, hair, flesh and clothes all burned, crackled, and melted in the hellfire.

"_Help her!_" Perrine screamed. Yoshika and Lynette pulled their burning friend into the lake, pushing her down and trying to submerge her to put out the flames. Perrine drew her rapier for battle, but the flames flickering in Jarri Siilasvuo's hand stopped her from charging him. She didn't want to end up like Aurora at all.

"Eila, you've told me all this time of your magic. I don't think I can get close him."

Eila stepped forward. With a gesture of her hands, she conjured a spell that sent Perrine and Sanya flying back ten meters into the shallow waters of the lake. She looked over her shoulder as the two got to their feet, soaking wet, and shouted, "Nobody else is getting hurt! This is a battle between wizards!"

"Eila, you idiot!" It was Sanya who screamed these words. Perrine still had her rapier and was splashing forward. She had her magic still, and was going to see this wizard explode like a tree in a lightning storm.

"Lynette, Sanya, help Aurora!" She ordered. "Eila and I will dispatch this fiend!"

Sanya splashed towards the other three in the lake. Aurora wasn't a pretty sight to look at. Lynette was trying to prop her up in a sitting position to help Yoshika heal her.. Yoshika had never used her healing magic on burns and wasn't sure how effective it would be. Her magic usually mended flesh and fractures, but burns were something else entirely. Aurora's right arm, half of her face, and breast were all burned terribly with her right ear gone entirely. While she had never been exactly beautiful, her features and skin were warped and ugly where the hellfire had scorched her.

Back at the shore, Eila was quivering with anger. Her hands were in the forms of fists and her eyes were burning with a white fire. "_That was my sister!_" she cried. Bouts of the same sort of fire that burned Aurora exploded around her. Grass and twigs were singed beneath her feet.

"And now it'll be you," there was a gleeful malice in Jarri's voice. He made a punching motions with both fists and a torrent of the white hellfire exploded forward and enveloped Eila entirely. Her form was a black shadow amidst a bright light.

"_No!_" Perrine screamed, stumbling over her own feet and tripping. The five witches in the lake stopped, staring in stunned silent, unable to react in anyway. The bright flames disappeared like wind, but Eila was still there. Her clothes were burned away, and the fire in her eyes was burning more than ever. She clapped her hands to bring forth a new spell. A bright bolt of energy shot from her hands, forcing Jarri Siilasvuo to dive headlong out of the way. The bolt exploded in the air, and the arcs blazed and streaked outwards. One such arc shot into his back, provoking a sharp cry of pain from him.

He was on his hands and knees, panting as faint smoke rose from his back.

Eila clapped her hands again to repeat the spell, but this time he raised his own hand to bring forth a spell like the bubble Eila had used to protect Sanya and herself. The spell exploded against it, and the bubble seemed to shatter, sending shards flying about everywhere. Siilasvuo's cheek was cut by one. Eila wavered slightly, like she was exhausted.

Jarri pushed himself to his feet, and was exhausted as well. "Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, you're certainly quite a match. You're still young, though, and you'll either collapse on your feet or tear yourself apart keeping up this fight. It's not too late to give in and come with me!"

"Not... in... a million years!" Eila panted, and clumsily threw a punch in the air. A burst of the same fire that had hurt her sister came forth, but it was weak and died instantly. She gave one last heaving breath before her naked body collapsed over, her magic and energy finally spent.

"Heh, stubborn as-"

Jarri Siilasvuo was interrupted by a loud, "_Tonnerre!_"

A crack of thunder and lightning streaked over their camp. Jarri had only the smallest window of opportunity to bring for a spell to create a magical shield. He was almost successful. The weak shield shattered instantly, shards cutting him more, and his body was thrown hard against a nearby tree. The shield saved his life, but his body was broken with many bones shattered. Perrine rushed over with his rapier drawn.

Her boot slammed into several of his broken ribs, provoking a pained howl. The point of Perrine's rapier was at his heart. "Killing you would be a mercy, you traitor," she hissed. "Death is too good for someone like you."

"I was never on your side," his voice came out cracked and weak as a trickle of blood spilled from his lips. "Although-" he coughed and winced, "-although I'd much rather see your kind succeed. I kn-know her plans, my wisdom... t-the sight of a wizard. Y-You're her champion, the... the one she suffers for..."

Perrine took her foot of his chest, and saw he was starting to fade out. Now frantic, she kneeled down and grabbed at his collar with her other hand. "Who!? Who are you talking about!?"

His blue eyes gazed at her amber ones. The weary, pained expression became a smile, and he muttered, "I must return, Perrine Clostermann. My faith... the faith of Gallia in you... They may... they may not know your name, but word has spread... Alas, I must depart before I am too weak for the spell."

"Not yet!" Perrine let go of her rapier and grasped at his collar with both hands. She wanted to call to Yoshika to heal this man. She saw it perfectly, his heart was changed. He was seeing reason! Jarri Siilasvuo made a fist and hit the ground, and soon Perrine felt nothing in her hands as he disappeared away with magic. She fell forward on her hand and knees and hit the ground with her fist in frustration. She wanted to know more about Gallia, and whether or not he had been speaking of Mio Sakamoto.

She looked over, and saw Sanya was with Eila. The wizard was coming to after a short spell of faintness. She was heaving with exhaustion, naked and looking like an angel in Sanya's arms. Yoshika and Lynette were struggling to carry Aurora upright out of the lake. The older Suom was out cold from shock, and didn't look so good.

"Is...Is she alright?" Eila whispered to Sanya.

Sanya nodded and stroked Eila's head, "I pray so."

"S-She'll live," Yoshika said in a low, shaky voice. "My magic though... those burns can't be healed completely. S-She'll have those scars for a long time... m-maybe forever. I'm so sorry," fat tears were spilling down her cheeks. "I did all I could."

"Yoshika, your magic alone could have saved her for all we know," Lynette tried to encourage her. Tears were streaming down her own face though. "You've done enough, for her and for all of us. Don't wear this as a burden, please."

"It's hard," Yoshika sniffled, unable to keep from crying. "It's twice now my magic hasn't been able to help her up all the way."

The sun was setting now. It was a restless, silent night and little sleep was shared between the group. Eila didn't clothe herself until morning, and spent the night standing in the center of the lake, water just past her ribs, staring up at the stars alone. Yoshika kept with Aurora, the only one who slept fully through the night. She tried to heal her burns further, but to no avail. Aurora's burns were red and rough, covering the right face of her head. Her ear was gone, along with the silver hair that had once been there. Yoshika whispered to her in her sleep, telling her she was still beautiful no matter what. She hoped Aurora could hear those words in her dreams.

Perrine sat alone, rapier on her lap. She recited the words Jarri Siilasvuo had said over and over again in her head. She was certain Sakamoto was in Gallia now; perhaps mustering some rebellion? She was hopeful, but knew her hopes were simply just hopes. There were fears too. She worried that the wizard's loyalty was still with the Dark One fully and that he would report all he had learned about them. Sanya had said he had been tailing them for some time, and she was afraid he had overheard details about their journey. Secrecy, it seemed, had not been a silly idea.

All in all, the Strike Witches were realizing just what this journey was going to be like.

**To Be Continued**

_**Author's Notes/Commentary**__- We continue the theme of taverns based off songs! This one was a little darker, but I wanted to capture the feel of the _Alestorm _song since _Bringing the Dawn_ is just me trying to write scenes that fit songs I like. I'm only mostly joking. Listen to the song for yourself, It's prettty good. _

_For that fight with the other wizard, it was written around _Red Light In My Eyes Pt 1 _by _Children of Bodom_. My long time readers know there was no way I could make it without mentioning _Children of Bodom_ somehow; although my obsession with them has waned somewhat in the last year or so. If you read at the same speed I do, the song goes along perfectly with the scene. _


	8. The Three Meetings

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Eight**

**The Three Meetings**

"_My dearest friends,  
Even if your hope has burned with time,  
Anything that's dead shall be re-grown,  
And your vicious pain, your warning sign,  
You will be fine."_

-_The Adventure _by _Angels and Airwaves_ (guilty pleasure band)

**26**

Broken, bleeding, and in desperate need of a physician's attention, Jarri Siilasvuo felt as if he was marching before the gallows. He was waiting for one of Neuroin's servants to summon him to the chamber of the council to be judged, and no-doubt killed for his failure. In the meantime, he waited in his chambers alone. His room was a circular dwelling atop a high spire separated from the main of the castle. Along the walls were his things: desks, many bookshelves, and a bed. In the center of the floor was a brightly colored magical symbol. There was a similar one hidden in the sewers beneath Paris. It was a covert way to enter and leave the castle.

"_He callssss_," the horrible whispering voice of one of the Neuroi hissed. He couldn't see it, but knew it was nearby. In his life, Jarri had feared a lot of things, and let that fear consume him. He had followed a dark path, and done dark deeds in hopes it would spare him. Now he was cornered like a rat, taking console only in the fact that he could die knowing some part deep within him understood the mistakes he had made.

He passed the doors of his room. Beyond was nothing, a landing that ended in a drop hundreds of feet to Paris below. A great bridge, made of the same material as the Neuroi, rose from below and connected his spire to another lone spire. As he walked the bridge, he saw in the distance another bridge raising to connect the next spire to another. He'd have to cross several more bridges to reach the castle. Around him, the air whipped and howled in the red sky. It stank of sulfur.

Jarri limped along, body in agony from being shattered against a tree by Perrine Clostermann's spell. He was still exhausted from the magic he had used in his battle with the other wizard. Above the physical pain, something weighed on him more. The guilt was more than anything, because he had spent years believing a lie he had told himself. He had never followed Neuroin out of any sort of deep affection or loyalty, but fear the promise of power. If there was going to be a war, he wanted to be on the winning side and come through unscathed. Despite the side he chose, he would have rather seen Neuroin cast down.

Before he thought that impossible, but after being defeated he reconsidered. He had never seen Neuroin fight first hand, only heard stories of his bloody conquests and the witches he had killed. What if it was just rumors though? What if the real Neuroin was simply a charlatan and commander who gave power to others to do _his_ bidding? Whatever the case was, Jarri Siilasvuo was glad that he was going to die so that Neuroin could lose a general.

To a Suom, death was not something to fear.

Soon he passed through the high black gates past the ramparts into the castle interior. He limped past guards in their black armor; they patrolled a meter above the ground. On their back were wings of red fire that did not flap, but still carried them. They had weapons of similar make, just like the Neuroi. He passed the Neuroi too, who simply stared forward expressionless.

"Jarri Siilasvuo," came the voice of the Dark One, Neuroin. "I cannot help but feel disgust when a great wizard of the Northern Order - unburdened and a master of the ancient fire - was bested by a team of children! Yes, they are witches, the magical champions of the weak race of men: _but they are still children_. Your weakness is so overwhelmingly pathetic I cannot think of a punishment suitable for you."

"You're underestimating them," Jarri muttered, out of breath from his journey there. Beside Neuroin was that witch in white, her face obscured as always. He knew who she was, and what she was doing. Now, he was glad for the fact he had never attempted to stop her. He had been afraid that Neuroin would not believe him were he to have her assassinated.

"A hundred witches have perished beneath my blade, and so shall another hundred at least before this war is over! Their entire kind will be eradicated, and you tell me I underestimate them. Tell me, how many did it take to best you!?"

It was the witch who answered in a mocking, smug tone, "But two, my lord. A single skirmisher watched the fight for me. I thought we would like to see just how this battle played out."

Neuroin gave a soft, evil laugh and affectionately patted the head of his adviser. "This mind of yours so often works to stay my hand from feeding on your magic, I must say," he then focused on Jarri again. "So, what will she tell me she saw?"

"That I fought bravely, but was overcome by strong magic. Children as they are, one still throws lightning like she is the daughter of Thor!" Jarri came forth before the two of them. His eyes were sunken and his face was pale, and he was accepting death. "I tailed them for over a week and ambushed them. I was not prepared to be struck down by the power of storms. Had I known she had this magic, I could have prepared adequately for it."

"You tracked them for this long?" Neuroin stepped forward and grasped Jarri's face in his long, armored fingers. "Surely you were not so foolish as not to listen to their words, and learn about where they go and what they do?"

"N-No, my lord," the wizard shook his head. He was torn. He had listened to them indeed, and knew their journey was to the south to gather the Gertrud Barkhorn and Erica Hartmann. Yet, he did not believe he should say these words. It was likely upon leaving his lips, he would die for his failure anyhow.

Neuroin let go of the wizard and crossed his arms. "Perhaps some degree of usefulness can be dug out of you yet. Your failures could pave the way for more competent fighters to finish the job. Tell me what you learned!"

"Y-Yes m-my lord!" Jarri fell to his knees, and felt himself cornered more than ever. He weakly stammered out a story, hoping his mind could fabricate a lie, "I f-found them at Buccaneer's Inn and-"

His voice became a bloody gurgle as the flash of a blade cut his throat. Blood spilled from his mouth as he weakly grasped at his split neck. Jarri Siilasvuo fell over, and died in a pool of his blood. Over him, Mio Sakamoto stood with her katana in hand, dripping with his blood.

"A traitor speaks with a forked tongue," she said. Her hood had fallen back, exposing her weary face and black hair tied back in a tight warrior's knot. "When defeated, he swore allegiance to the enemy in Denmark. That is the single problem with ruling with fear, my lord, the rats can be called to another if their shadow seems larger. Jarri Siilasvuo knew his time was short. Even if he had a chance to speak his lies and mislead us, his failure was not something that would go unpunished. He was to die or suffer either way, so his words would have aided our enemy."

"Again, your wisdom is admirable," Neuroin said, and stepped over Jarri's body. "This was quite a disappointment. Yet we know they go south, but for what purpose? That remains to be seen. A new champion shall over see this operation. Jaeger Kunze will not disappoint me, as I have a better way to persuade him than fear. He always did like his women _young_."

Mio Sakamoto frowned as Neuroin left. Her hope came from the fact that her actions had bought Perrine and the others just a little bit more time and safety. If only they knew what they were walking into on the Rhine.

**27**

"So where to now, fearless leader?" Eila asked Perrine the morning after their encounter with Jarri Siilasvuo.

"We stay the course," Perrine answered. She was sitting at the edge of the lake polishing her rapier. "Put some clothes on, I grow tired of seeing your bare body. We're not stopping if you catch a cold standing in that freezing lake all night either."

"I didn't," Eila said from beside Perrine. "That fire you saw is very hot, and was burning inside me. I needed to cool down like metal pulled from a burning forge. Before we break camp and set off once more, I wanted to talk to you alone."

Perrine looked about and saw nobody. She lowered her voice to a whisper and said, "Now is good."

Eila nodded, and whispered as well, "I just wanted to thank you, and say if it weren't for you last night I don't think all six of us would be here. I think you're a snobby, stuck-up four-eyes but you're the best snobby, stuck-up four-eyes I could ever hope to have at my side. I don't think anyone else realizes just how close that fight was, and that you were the hero of the day."

Perrine continued polishing her blade, looking at the lake like she wasn't regarding Eila. She simply shrugged and said, "Anything less would have been a disgrace to Sakamoto and the effort she spent teaching me. I may have basked in the glory of my victory in the North Sea when we first reached London, but I'm going to be a bit more humble this time. The rest of the group doesn't need to know how my quick actions may have saved us all. I don't want them to know just how much danger we were in."

"Well, aren't you noble?" Eila teased, and patted Perrine's shoulder. She stood up and faced the camp again. "I'll dress, we can eat, and then we can move again. Thanks again, Perrine, and know that I have your back."

"And I have yours," Perrine said back.

Back at camp, the others were beginning to wake. Lynette started a breakfast of flapjacks from the supplies they had brought with them from Britannia. There was still some venison left, and she also fried some robin eggs she had found in the woods nearby. It was a great breakfast, but there were not much happiness to go around.

"How're you feeling?" Yoshika asked Aurora. The older girl wasn't touching her food.

"Hurts," she answered in a whisper. "The entire right side of my body fucking hurts and stings." Aurora was trembling slightly, and her eyes were watering. "Eila? Where's Eila?"

"I'm right here," Eila was at her side in an instant. She took Aurora's left hand in her hands and squeezed it tight. She was wearing her traveling dress again.

"Didn't see you this morning, just wanted to make sure you were okay," her voice quavered, and tears were spilling down her cheeks. "It hurts so bad, I wish _äiti _were here. She could make any pain go away when I fell down as a kid."

"She's waiting for you," Eila's own face was marked with tears. Yoshika was silently crying as well. The other three girls wore expressions of sorrow and grief and were close by as well. Eila sniffled, and muttered, "I hate tears. Come on, big girl, the worst is past us. The man who hurt you is dead, and it's a straight hike from here to Karlsland. Then you can go back to Suomus. You saved my life, Aurora. That fire would have killed me if you weren't there."

"I... saved your life?" A flicker of happiness danced in Aurora's pale eyes.

"Yeah," Eila smiled, and kissed her on her unburned cheek. "Without you, I would be dead." It was a lie. The fire had been directed at Aurora and only Aurora, but she didn't recall the events well enough to know that, it seemed, and therefore Aurora accepted those words. The tears burned Eila's eyes and spilled down heavy. She was holding Aurora's hand very tight.

"That's right," Yoshika agreed, her tears pouring out with more force than Eila's. "We...W-we really owe you one."

Sanya nodded, staying silent.

"Yes," Perrine said from across the camp. "Our lives are owed to you. It does not equal the price you paid for this, but none here can harbor anything less than complete respect for you now."

"Twice now you've saved me," Lynette sheepishly added. Even if Aurora wasn't glaring at her maliciously like she normally did, the animosity between them stopped her from saying more. She helped Perrine break camp while the other three comforted their burnt companion.

Eila continued to hold her sister's hand until Aurora used her good arm to pull Eila close. They held each other close, both quietly sobbing. Their camp was quickly packed up, and Perrine stood before them and said, "The last thing I want to do is appear insensitive, but we need to keep moving. We'll spread the burden of what Aurora carried around the four of us. Until the pain is gone, Aurora is hereby exempt from any and all chores."

"I can still do my damned chores!" Aurora snapped, rising to her feet instantly. She winced at her right side as she did so. "Don't divvy up my stuff, I can still carry it just fine. Sanya too!"

"No," Eila gently said. "I'll be the one to carry Sanya while she sleeps."

"But Eila," Sanya's quiet voice came from beside her, "you're not very strong and we're going to be walking a long way."

"You're not fat, either," Eila playfully shot back. Her tears were more or less dried now, and she gave one last sniffle before slinging her pack over her should. "Come on, you'll see what I can do."

"Suit yourself," Aurora sighed. "Hey, Yoshika, you were still gonna teach me Fuson, right?"

"Y-Yeah," Miyafuji stammered and nodded. "Of course! Only if you're feeling up to it, I mean..."

Aurora forced a sheepish laughed, "Of course I am! Think some little burn's gonna keep me down? Come on, give me something to get my mind off how bad this friggin' stings. _Yksi kieli ei ikinä riitä_!"

The Strike Witches set off once again. It was a cool, windy morning with an overcast sky. They paused briefly in Odense to renew their hardly-diminished food supplies. Aurora had her sister buy her a traveling cloak which she used to hide her burns. Perrine and Lynette led the way past Odense west, marching some ten meters ahead and chatting idly about gardening, cooking, and other subjects they had a little something in common with. Behind them was Aurora and Yoshika, laughing and joking as Yoshika tried to teach her the basics of her language. A lot of laughing came at Aurora's inability to pronounce words in Fuson; and likewise Yoshika's inability to grasp Suomish. Lagging in the rear, some fifty paces behind was Eila trying to carry Sanya via piggyback ride. She was sweating and panting, dragging her feet as Sanya's weight bore down upon her. Small as Sanya was, Eila was all skin and bones.

When they ferried later in the day across a small straight, Sanya did not sleep again. She followed along on foot in the middle of the day.

"Let's face it," Perrine said as they set off south now. They were on the mainland of Europe now, and would be in Karlsland in a few days max. "Aurora was the only one who could reliably carry Sanya. Eila has the drive, but not the physical strength. Behind Aurora I'm the second strongest, but even I cannot carry a person over a great distance."

"Then who will do night watch?" Lynette asked as they all marched the road together.

"I can do it," Eila offered without hesitation.

"Nobody," Perrine answered. "Nobody alone at least. Eila staying up all night ends in the same result: having to be carried. Had we horses with a wagon or carriage this wouldn't be a problem, but only our boots can carry us forward. My suggestion is that we take turns keeping night watch in small shifts. We can draw straws on who goes first."

"I don't think I could sit in the dark alone," Yoshika shivered with fear.

"And I don't think I can muster the ability to care," Perrine snapped at Miyafuji.

"Hey, lay off her," Aurora glared Perrine down with narrow eyes. "I'll keep watch with her if it's an issue. Still makes five watches and if you divide that it-"

"If you're on watch together with her, I want to be on watch with Sanya!" Eila exclaimed, holding Sanya's hand and raising her other.

Sanya blushed and said, "Eila, that's sweet of you but I prefer to take my watches alone."

"You don't want me?" Eila lowered her hand and looked crushed.

"That's not it at all, silly," Sanya chuckled and reached up on her tip-toes to kiss Eila's cheek.

Eila's face went bright red, and she couldn't do much more than blush and stammer incoherent in Suomish.

Perrine gave a very audible groan, "If someone wants to share their watch with someone else, that's _fine_. You still need to be present for yours though and _everyone_ is taking a turn every night for say... an hour and fifteen minutes. I have an hourglass somewhere in my pack, simply use it and a quarter to measure out your shifts, and..." her eyes narrowed upon Eila and she snidely added, "no using these shifts for weird lover spats."

"W-What are you saying!?" Eila blurted out, more red than ever. "I wouldn't ever do anything indecent like that you stupid stuck-up little..." Her ramblings devolved into swearing in Suomish that made Sanya blush and Aurora snerk.

Continuing their journey through Denmark, they walked in pairs again. Now Sanya was awake, albeit sleepy and not all there. Eila was happy for it, and she and Aurora and Yoshika all walked together while Lynette and Perrine kept on ahead.

"You didn't mean what you said, did you?" Lynette asked in a low whisper.

Perrine didn't know what she was referring to. She had said a lot of things. "What? About how Yoshika not wearing socks during the journey is stinking up the whole camp? I meant that very sincerely."

"No, that's not what I meant," Lynette cracked a smile and looked downward. She had seldom done much traveling before this, and her aching legs testified for it. Currently she wore traveling boots with high green tights and a skirt. Her face went red and she stammered out, "N-No, I meant about... about them having a lover's sp-spat. They wouldn't really, would they?"

"We know pagan women to frolic and fornicate under the moon, but Sanya doesn't hold to the misguided heathen beliefs of Eila," Perrine explained.

"Oh that's a relief," Lynette sighed, looking far more at ease now. "If I may confide to you in private," she looked over her shoulder to make sure they were a good distance from the other four. "Eila frightens me quite a bit. She seems kind enough, but her magic with that fire and how she plays with those tarot cards at night always sets me on edge. That fox she has always seems to be gone during the day but finds her at night. None of it is natural."

"I think we have nothing to fear with Eila," Perrine told her, looking back over her shoulder as well. "Odd she is, as well as a pagan but she won't harm or betray any of us. It's easier for me to accept her I suppose because Sakamoto followed a strange code of beliefs called _Shinto_. We'll keep to our faiths and they'll keep to theirs, alright?"

**28**

While the Strike Witches traveled through Denmark slowly on foot, another force was able to travel great distances in the blink of an eye. Beyond the ability to conjure nearly anything short of food from the black substance that spawned his castle and Neuroi, Neuroin's magic allowed him to simply appear wherever he wished granted he had been there before. A forgotten eon ago, he had walked many lands with a family; these beaches in particular.

He was in Afrika, the northern shores of Morocco. North he could see the mainland of Hispania, a land of plague and destruction. The Black Death was ravaging the country, and frankly Neuroin kept his armies from taking this land as well because of it. While the loss of human life was nothing to him, he didn't need his armies dying to some sickness brought about by other humans.

A message was sent by magic to prompt this meeting. The horse Jaeger Kunze rode was swifter than even Gertrud Barkhorn's legendary Sleipnir. Neuroin did not have to wait long on the rocky shores until he heard heavy hooves beating towards him.

"My lord!" Jaeger Kunze greeted him, "Fine weather for a day at the beach, yes?"

Neuroin's pale lips formed a smile. Somehow his general's sheer joy to be part of any assignment always pleased him. He didn't need to wield fear to motivate this man, but simply needed to play off his sadism (of which there was no shortage of). Jaeger Kunze was once a very average looking man with the build of a soldier. Short brown hair and a small beard, he blended in with most crowds. Now his face was pale, marked with small faded scars, and beneath his eyes were dark circles.

"Jarri Siilasvuo failed spectacularly in his mission," Neuroin said as he gazed north to the sea. His voice was neutral as it always was, with a slight hint of annoyance and frustration. "A simple task botched greatly by his incompetence. We know the company is in Denmark now, no doubt heading south to enter Gallia or gather more allies in Karlsland. Either way, I want them dead."

"Their mission is probably to gather the horse-masters of Karlsland in their mission," Kunze said. "With as many victories as they have gained, it would be foolish not to enlist them as an ally. Speaking of riders, I had a lovely time here trying to hunt down the Star of Afrika. Marseille is an elusive mark, and while Siilasvuo was failing in his mission I spent nearly a week tailing her and her company across the desert on horseback. We skirmished once but a sandstorm forced us to flee and take refuge in different directions, of course. I can fight witches, but I cannot fight weather. So what is my mission now, my lord? To intercept and kill the six?"

"The six fight well together as I've gathered from Jarri Siilasvuo. Charging them blindly will get you sent back to me as a corpse. That is not where your strength lies anyway," a dark smile crossed his face now. "Your heart is blacker than any, and I put no trust in any more than you. Break them, scatter them, kill them. Whatever you must do to end their little quest. Naturally, you will be rewarded."

"You're gracious, my lord," Jaeger Kunze was smiling wickedly now, having trouble stifling a malicious laugh. "Might I make a request? Alexsandra Litvyak, or 'Sanya' as she goes by. I want her and only her to do with as I please. Such a fair, pretty girl... so much like my sister and all the more fun to-"

"Yes, yes," Neuroin waved his hand, uninterested in the unpleasant details. "As you wish. I only ask you don't parade your dark ways across Gallia. The last thing we need is a rebellion within our borders over something you caused."

"I wouldn't dream of it, my lord," he feigned offense. "Secondly, I will make Gertrud Barkhorn wish she had never ridden against us. There are things warriors fear more than death and pain. I hear she has a pretty little sister somewhere in Karlsland. I believe this little fact could prove sharper than any sword in defeating her."  
"Dark and cunning," Neuroin smiled again. "I am glad there are those in my circle I can rely on."

**29**

After an uneventful two days of walking the company of witches finally arrived at the town of Flensburg at the border of Karlsland. It was built in the innermost end of a fjord, and seemed to be quite the bustling little place. Fishing boats were scattered all about the fjord, and Flensburg was right on the road of a major trade route, making its location absolutely ideal. With some directions given by the locals of the tavern, they found a homestead a little ways off from the bulk of the town. It was a small home with horse stables adjoined. With a knock on the door, they were greeted by a Fuso witch that Perrine had met before in Britannia.

"I was wondering when you'd come around," she smiled and ushered them in. "Welcome to my little escape. I'm Takei Junko, but you can just call me Jun. You're the ones who're gonna be taking my horses then? Sakamoto wrote and said there'd only be four of you."

"Plans change," Perrine said, smiling politely. "It's good to see you again, Jun. I have to admit, it's rather surprising to see you up here in Denmark. I thought you and your comrades were based out of Romagna."

She shrugged and shook her head, "We ended up scattered after the Blackguards arrived in Rome. We obviously took the side of the Queen of Thieves, and fought some battles before she was assassinated. They knew our names though, and people around us started winding up dead - people we loved. So we've scattered and are waiting for things to calm down a bit before we go and try to help again."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Perrine told her.

"What's done is done," Jun shrugged again. "Nobody closed to me was harmed, thankfully. Let me get my tea going and get acquainted with all of you."

The other five introduced themselves, and together the group crowded around a small table in her parlor for teatime. They sipped at their drinks and Junko spoke, "I thought you'd like to know just who I am since Perrine is the only one with any idea. I'm a friend of Mio's, we met when we fought off one of the only Dark One attacks in Fuso together. To help with the war out here, we both traveled to Europe. For a long time with fought the Dark Ones with Perrine's Mother: Evangelyne; and the last Queen of Thieves: Lucretia Lucchini. Eventually our travels took us elsewhere. Mio ended up in Karlsland for a long time with Lady Wilcke while I ended up south in Romagna with Lucretia as Evangelyne married in Gallia. Eventually our ages rendered our ability to face the Dark Ones gone, but I still lent my sword against Neuroin's men in Romagna. We both used our experience to teach the younger generation."

"I did not know that Sakamoto and my mother were friends like this," Perrine said in surprise. "I-I knew Sakamoto and her were acquainted but I did not know they were friends. Or you two for that very matter."

Jun nodded, smiling fondly like she was recalling those memories. "Yes, everyone loved Eva. You two look quite alike, except you have your father's eyes. I never met him, but Eva's eyes were blue while yours are amber."

"What... what was she like?" Perrine asked. She was suddenly uncomfortable with everyone around her as this was a very private conversation.

Junko seemed to sense what Perrine was thinking and said, "After dinner we shall walk and discuss this together. You were very young when we lost her. You don't remember much, do you?"

"Very little," Perrine answered. She remembered her mother's lullabies and her soft voice and gentle hands, but didn't feel the need to voice that. Of her father, she remembered very little too, and had difficulty recalling his name at times. This meeting with Junko was quite satisfying. Not only where they acquiring horses but she was going to learn more about her family.

Dinner was made not long after and Jun graced them with news from the south.

"I hear things," she began. "In town, or through letters written my way. The last two weeks have been quite interesting. I've heard that Blackguard riders from Karlsland are storming across the Rhine like they're hunting for something. The border is ablaze with activity, but the riders; Dark Ones; and men on foot don't seem to be trying to make an attack against Karlsland. Nobody knows what they're after."

"They're after us," Eila concluded instantly. "We bested one of his generals only days ago. No wonder they're scrambling. I think we're making Neuroin panic."

"He better panic!" Aurora slammed her fists down on the table and shouted. Yoshika and Lynette flinched in surprise. "When we get to him, I'm going to personally rip his head off and make a sport out of it! Or set him on fire and see how _he_ likes it!"

Junko's eyes found Aurora's burns and it was not difficult to put two and two together.

"As Sakamoto would say, hatred can only drive you so far," her eyes then found Perrine. "Same goes for revenge."

Perrine bit her lower lip and looked the other way. Takei Junko was wrong. Revenge had carried Perrine so far, and she certainly wasn't losing momentum. She wondered if Aurora felt similarly. And what motivated the others? Was it compassion? The urge to do what was right and fight a battle for humanity? It was the first time Perrine had really wondered about this. Her companions were something almost taken for granted. Now she wondered if there was a breaking point. A point where despair and dread finally erased all courage and hope and morale was completely broken. Perrine felt there was no such point for her, but what if Sakamoto's words were true? What if hate could only drive someone like Aurora so far?

Junko's home was small, so the group had to sleep outside under the stars in their bedrolls again. Perrine walked the pasture behind her house with their host.

"Sakamoto rarely talked about my mother," Perrine said as she walked by the side of Junko. It was a starry night, with a cool and gentle breeze that brought the smell of blooming flowers. It was the beginning of April now. "I asked her a lot of questions when I first became a teenager, but she never answered much."

"That's understandable, Sakamoto was very fond of Eva," Junko sighed, smiling at memories again. "The two of them were very dear friends."

"How come Sakamoto never mentioned this? She only told me they had known each other. If my mother was so dear to her, why did she act like she hardly knew her? From the way she spoke, she made it sound like my mother was simply someone she knew on a first-name basis."

"I suppose you have every right to know..." the Fuso witch looked uncomfortable for a moment. For a short while, she was silent, keeping Perrine anxious to hear her words. "Yes, Mio cared for Evangelyne very much. Minna has always been her best friend, but there was more of a sisterly bond between your mother and Mio. You'd have thought all of us would be together forever. Then... then your mother married and everything fell apart."

"Why?" Perrine didn't understand at all. "A wedding is a very happy occasion. Was Sakamoto not happy with my father?"

"No, not at all... and it made her even more unhappy when Lucretia married as well," Junko shook her head. "Eva wrote to me more than once and your father was a fine man. Mio was a bridesmaid and during the ceremony she... had said some very bad things."

"Sakamoto did!?"

She nodded, "Yes, and to find out what she said you would have to ask her personally. It is up to her and only her to disclose those words. I know she would never forgive me if I told them. Ah, it's getting late. You had best get to bed if you wish to set off early in the morning."

"I suppose you're right," Perrine admitted, and then asked, "Who was this Lucretia Lucchini though? I've heard her mentioned, but know nothing about her."

Junko answered, "She was another friend of ours, a witch from Rome. She had a way of making everyone smile, and at the same time scream in anger at her mischief. She left for Rome again after Evangelyne married to live with her own husband. She had a daughter that was to be her heir as the ruling body of Rome's Thieves Guild not long after you were born. Sadly, she was killed by a witch paid off by the Blackguards along with her husband. Come now, you should be getting to sleep."

Perrine didn't get much rest that night at all. Her mind was ablaze with thoughts around what Junko had told her. She had no idea there had been such a history, that her mother and Sakamoto had been so close. Not once in the eleven years Perrine had known her had Sakamoto ever made any mention of this. Now the desire to see her again was fiercer than ever. It wasn't until she was gone that Perrine had realize just how many things had been left shrouded in mystery. When dawn came, she didn't feel any more rested than when she had gone to sleep.

Four horses were to aid them when moving south through the Rhineland. They were beautiful and strong chargers of Karlsland, and Junko assured them they outrun and outlast any Gallian breed that Neuroin's riders raised. No horses short of the ones that Gertrud Barkhorn's company rode were faster. At least that was what she promised.

"I cannot thank you enough," Perrine told her as she mounted a great, dark-gray horse named Hasufel.

"I know a spell to guide them home," Eila said. Her own horse was a smaller and lighter one, but festive and fiery named Arod. Sanya was to ride with her.

"My heart won't mourn if I don't see them again, but I thank you for that." Junko replied. "It's quite a long way, and even if you can bring them back I doubt I shall see them for a very long time."

"We'll take good care of them!" Yoshika assured her. Her horse was speckled gray one named Hama.

"Has anyone seen Aurora?" Lynette asked atop her mare. It was a twitchy, jumpy girl named Grima.

"I think she went into town," Sanya answered as nothing seemed to elude her. "Maybe to try and purchase a horse of her own as there only four."

"She could have rode with me," Yoshika pouted.

"Let us ride and see if we can find her before the morning is done," Perrine decided. Nobody opposed, and everyone was eager to begin riding. "We thank you again, Takei Junko! This is a debt we can't hope to repay!"

"Whatever helps you achieve victory faster," she smiled and saw them off. Many more thanks and good-byes were thrown her way as the five rode out. Lynette and Perrine were familiar with riding horseback, and Eila knew enough about it to guide her horse along effortlessly. However, Yoshika had never been on the back of a horse and had no idea what to do. Lynette guided her along, instructing her on how to tell Hama to speed up, slow down, stop, turn, and so on.

Even with Yoshika moving along slowly, they made quick time down to Flensburg; much faster than they could have ever done on foot. Sure enough they ran right into Aurora. She was atop a steed of her own, but it was nothing like the proud Karlslandian chargers the five rode. It was a shaggy, emaciated looking pony that was probably older than any of them.

"Where did you get that?" Eila deadpanned.

"Poor thing looks so sad," Lynette whispered.

"This!" Aurora boasted, "Is Bill! I won him in a bet at the tavern! Apparently the enemy was using him down in the Rhinelands, but a farmer took him in and was taking care of him. Said he's old and weak, but he's got a heart like no other and just wants some love."

"That's so sweet," Yoshika cooed.

Eila nodded and smiled, "That works perfectly then! We shouldn't be going much faster than a trot, so poor ol' Bill should be fine."

"That's what I was thinking," Aurora replied, and spurred Bill alongside Arod. Arod snorted disdainfully at the shaggy pony.

"What did you bet?" Perrine asked.

"Hmm?" Aurora raised an eyebrow.

"What did you bet?" Perrine repeated, her face stern. "You said you won him in a bet. What did you bet?"

"Oh, what did I bet?" Aurora gave a forced laugh, "Well, you always have that Byzantine gold so..."

"You were betting my money," Perrine frowned, her hands making fists around Hasufel's reins. She grumbled through her teeth and spurred her horse towards the road south, moving ahead of the rest a decent way. Perrine was mad about this and only was willing to let it go to a certain extent only because of the trauma Aurora had been through.

Very soon they were past the border of Karlsland. The first leg of the journey was over. It was just a long ride south, but they were all glad not to be walking anymore. Sore and aching legs were given a rest, but the pains of riding would definitely crop up later. Within hours Yoshika was already complaining about her bum and thighs hurting. Saddles weren't all that comfortable, but Perrine bore it and told the others to do the same as they rode onwards.

It was time to find Gertrud Barkhorn.

**To Be Continued**

_**Author's Notes/Commentary**__- You knew it was coming. I recommend that song I quoted at the beginning, it's got a good vibe and I think the lyrics are pretty fitting. After that, go listen to some _Cattle Decapitation_ song while drinking whiskey to regrow your chest hairs. _

_Ahaha, you're reading a _Strike Witches_ fanfiction, neither of us had chest hairs to begin with. Unless you're a woman reading this. If so, please talk to me... Oh god I'm so lonely..._

_Okay, serious time (kind of). I apologize if the dialogue between Jun and Perrine seems a bit sloppy. A lot of it was awkwardly rewritten because at first when I was writing it, I didn't really have the grand plot thought out quite as much. I ended up having to go back to this and add in a lot of little bits of foreshadowing to make later events seem less like they came out of nowhere, and more like they were built up to._


	9. Wildfire Season

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Nine**

**Wildfire Season**

"_Pull your lines together  
Our fury is greater than the worst stormy weather  
I grasp the sword in my hand, this is for my brothers,  
this is for my land  
With blood on my face to battle I ride  
With dust in my eyes, with faith in my heart  
Until death do us part."_

-At Torches Rise

by _Turisas_

**30**

The overcast weather and rain that had accompanied the Strike Witches in Denmark fled upon moving south into Karlsland. It took days to cross the North Karlsland Plains, moving south-west towards the Rhine with intention to follow it. There were only so many places that any advancing force from Gallia could reasonably ford. Perrine knew these would be the sort of areas Gertrud Barkhorn and her forces would be watching out for. Across the North Plains they could ride openly and freely. Perrine and Lynette often rode as far as a mile ahead with Hasufel and Arod. The steeds were very fast and often became restless if they weren't given a chance to really gallop.

Hama and Grima did not feel the same and were perfectly content to move slowly. They didn't mind the company of Bill, the pony, while the other two chargers seemed to loathe him. It was surprising just how arrogant these beasts could be.

"Seems awfully fitting," Eila teased them when they stopped for the night. "Two noble and proud steeds for two noble and proud girls."

"I'm not all that proud," Lynette argued. "It's better for Arod to be able to run wild. Father always said stuff like this forms a bond between rider and mount. Perrine and I have grown to understand our horses, and they do whatever we want them to do with just a slight tilt of our legs."

"It's true," Perrine boasted. "Hasufel seems to know just what I want him to do before even I do!"

"Hmm," Yoshika hummed. "Maybe I should ride ahead with you two and try and learn how to better ride Grima."

"If you could keep up with us," Perrine smirked.

"Oh, be nice," Lynette gently elbowed her.

Eila gave a loud yawn and rested in the long grass there without any sort of bedding. They had been riding for weeks, and it was half-way through April. The air had grown warmer and more comfortable and it was easy to simply fall asleep in the grass of the plains. "You do what you want but remember that in Suomus we have a saying: She who moves her arse loses her place."

"Err, what?" Perrine raised an eyebrow.

Eila rolled over to sleep and sighed, "You wouldn't understand it."

That was certainly true, Perrine thought. The first night watch was hers, and she kept to the fire with only Aurora as her company. The older Juutilainen had grown very fond of the poor pony, Bill. He shied away from anyone but her and never strayed from her side. She was better for it too, much happier with her new friend. Again, the journey was comfortable and relaxed. They seldom passed any people, save for a village or two they had stopped at so they could have proper meals and real beds for a night. Perrine still had plenty of money, so the real difficulty was the language barrier between the group and the people of Karlsland. Only Aurora spoke any Karlslandian, and even then her grasp of the language was fleeting.

Keeping south-west, their journey was delayed over and over by rivers. The lack of a proper map was a major deterrent. They had no idea where these rivers could be crossed, and more than once they had ended up soaking wet as a muddy river proved too deep to ford. They had almost lost Bill in another fording failure. The occasional villages they found never yielded any help in directions, and the only use they had was for restocking their food supplies.

It was mid-May when they finally started encountering the hills and small groves of trees where the plains ended.

"Finally, oh dear Lord, finally!" Lynette laughed. The change of scenery was welcome to say the least. The remaining plains around them were dull and yellow from lack of rain. It was going to be a hot, brutal summer from what they could tell.

"The sooner this journey ends the better," Perrine griped. "I've quite about seen enough leagues on horseback."

They all had. Their shifts every night for the watch usually involved pacing the perimeter of the camp to help their legs: stiff and sore from riding day in and day out. Bottoms and thighs were sore and chafed raw, aching from the constant bumping. The forests and valleys ahead in the Rhineland did not promise less riding, but gave a flicker of hope that they were nearer to their destination.

From beyond the hills, a faint noise carried with the wind.

"Maybe we should just walk the forests," Lynette suggested. "At least for a few days just so we can stretch our legs and-"  
"Shut up," Eila cut her off.

"S-Sorry?" Lynette flinched away.

Perrine rolled her eyes, "There's a nicer way to do that, Eila. Lynette, quiet a moment. We both heard something."

"I didn't hear anything," Aurora commented.

"I may have," Yoshika didn't look sure.

"Shut up everyone!" Eila hissed. Behind her, Sanya had a very focused look on her face and was massaging her temples. They were all quiet and waiting for a response from Sanya. After a minute or so she spoke.

"We need to get out of here," her voice was stricken with worry and panic. "There's over two-dozen people not even a mile away. Many of them are on horses and... I don't think they're from Karlsland."

"Gallians?" Perrine wondered with a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Yes," Sanya answered. "But I don't think they're friendly."

"Well," Aurora huffed and went for her poleaxe. "It's been four days since I've had a bath. So let's take one... a bloodbath that is!"

"I'd rather not you damned psychopath!" Perrine snapped at her. "I am armed with a rapier, not a weapon suited for horseback. And I don't suppose Lynette here is well versed in the ways of horseback archery."

"I'm not," Lynette confirmed.

"But these are open plains," Eila pointed out. "We have room to really let loose with our big attacks. My magic for instance could make short work of these guys. Lynette's bow could come in handy assuming she doesn't get ridden down. Lyn, do the explosions from your arrows start fires?"

"No," Lynette shook her head. "I suppose a single shot could kill a horse or his rider. I'd really rather not have to do such a thing. Oh, those poor horses..."

"We're going to attempt to parley first," Perrine told them. "I'll go alone ahead if I have to, but I'm not going to start spilling my own people's blood unless forced."

"Ride on ahead then," Eila told her, "and we'll cover you from behind. The moment we see spears or swords being readied, they'll be be dead before they know what hit them."

Perrine nodded and spurred Hasufel into a gallop. "Keep a distance behind me, but still in range!" She shouted over her shoulder. The other three horses followed, but fell behind a distance of fifty meters. Bill was lagging behind, and Aurora was doing her best to push him forward.

Perrine came to the apex of a hill and looked forward. In the distance was the beginning of woodlands, and riding forth from it was the group of riders Sanya had seen with her magic. They were donned in black, which did little to raise Perrine's hopes. She rode down the hill, slowing her pace as the others came to the apex. She turned in her saddle and signaled for her companions to stay put. Reaching the bottom of the hill she waited for the group of black riders to meet her.

Sanya's estimate was accurate, there were some two-dozen riding and another ten on foot marching behind them. They were wearing brigandine and mail shirts, with pikes and short swords at their hands and sides. The group marched before Perrine and two men rode forth from the group. One was young man with sandy hair, and the other looked much older with long black hair tied back, and amber eyes.

"What do you say, Trist?" the younger one asked, pointing towards Perrine like she couldn't hear him. "Is this _her_?"

"Aye, I do think it is," the one called Trist answered back in a very laid-back tone, almost like Eila's. "Well, Damien, it seems our hunt did not take very long at all. They did not follow the coast to the Rhine like predicted. It seems their company has been wandering the plains for some time now."

"But this is _her_ right?"

Trist nodded, "Yes, yes, she fits the description. Look up on the hill there. Six, like our orders said."

"_Ahem_," Perrine sought their attention. "You seem to know us, but who are you? If you're servants of Neuroin, I'm giving you a chance to return whence you came unharmed. I hear a Gallian accent in your speech; Damian, is it? I do not wish to harm my countrymen this day."

"There's a problem with that..." The rider, Damien, sighed. "You see, servants are just what we are. Some more willing than others, but we certainly cannot return home empty handed when you are right here. Witches or not, we outnumber you five to one."

"Then it's a fair fight," Perrine sneered. "Raise a hand against us and you'll be obliterated in an instant. We've fought Dark Ones that outnumbered us forty to one and were victorious. Turn around and leave this instant!"

While Damien was not at all intimidated, several amidst them murmured reluctant comments. The man, Trist, yanked at the reins of his horse and said, "The dear lady boasts an excellent point. She calls thunder and lightning from her fingertips and as far as I know no man can shrug off lightning. No horse either. I will kindly sit this skirmish out."

"You can't do that!" Damien cried as Trist trotted off. "You're captain of the city guard of Paris! What kind of message will this send!?"

"That routinely threatening me and brutalizing the people of my fair city is not a good way to instill loyalty," was his answer. Several followed him and Damien was beginning to panic.

"Kill the witches and deal with the traitors after!" he commanded, and the soldiers behind him responded in a loud chorus of shouts. Perrine instantly pulled on the reins and sent Hasufel galloping full speed up the hill. She saw the rest of the group dismounting, as none of them were trained in horseback fighting.

Behind Perrine, Neuroin's riders were pursuing her. The whistle of arrows whined through the air and two men were blown off their saddles by Lynette's shots. The horses reared and cried before panicking and galloping off. Perrine reached the apex of the hill and dove off Hasufel, coming to her feet after rolling in the grass. Hasufel and the other chargers neighed and ran down the other side of the hill in fright. Loyal as they were, horses were not brave. The only one to remain was Bill, refusing to leave Aurora's side. The Gallian rides scattered, moving to flank the witches atop the hill. _Gloryhammer_ fired and over and over again: some arrows finding their marks and some exploding harmlessly in the grass. Yoshika was at her side, her sword drawn but unlikely to find any use.

"Wait, Sanya!" Eila pushed Sanya's arm down as she tried to raise her wand. "Look at the grass! You'll set all of Karlsland on fire if you use that thing! Only use it if it's an emergency."

Sanya nodded, and kept behind Eila. Eila clapped her hands and brought her destructive spell to use. It was the same she had used against the other wizard, and it more or less blew a horse and rider into a million pieces. Aurora ran past them to meet the men-at-arms on foot rushing up the hill. She twirled her evil poleaxe once before swinging it down and dicing some poor lad's skull.

"Fighting for Neuroin!" Perrine cried, joining the fray with Aurora. "You are no countrymen of mine! Traitors, every last one of you!"

Rage and anger took over, and mercy was left behind. The reluctance to fight Gallians was gone when Perrine realized these men had submitted willingly to Neuroin's reign and were taking up arms against those who would seek to end it. They were no better than the mindless Dark Ones. Her rapier punctured bodies and heads as her and Aurora stemmed the tide. It was not as easy as fighting Dark Ones though. Men fought differently, much more brutally and viciously. She was pressed on the defensive as they used their pikes and halberds to great effect. She took a single cut across the cheek before realizing a rapier was not a suitable weapon for a battle like this.

At the top of the hill the riders attempted to run down the four witches. Eila's spell slew two, Lynette's arrow another, but they were forced to scatter and throw themselves onto the ground to avoid being skewered. The remaining eight Gallian rides galloped down the hills and circled around to join the footmen and overwhelm Aurora and Perrine.

Aurora staggered back from four men pressing against her, and backed up into her loyal-to-a-fault pony. "Damn it, Bill, get out of here!" She cried and scrambled past him. The Gallians pressed the advantage and as they followed, one cruelly swung his halberd to cut Bill's throat.

Aurora froze in place, her arms lowered as her eyes saw what had just happened. Perrine watched the group charge at her, with the horsemen coming as well. If she didn't act immediately, Aurora would be cut down. Doing the only thing she could think of, Perrine shot her free hand forward and screamed, "_Tonnerre!_"

A burst of great and terrible lightning shot forth and the thunder momentarily deafened everyone. The lighting tore through the men, killing nearly all of them. The horses stopped their charges and reared before fleeing. Men were thrown off or were being carried off by their unfaithful mounts. The plain around where her spell had streaked burst forth into flames that grew and ate at the grass hungrily. Those not killed immediately by the spell or thrown off their horses were now being consumed by it.

"_You're going to burn the entire country down!_" Eila screamed over the din of fire, death and fear.

Aurora froze in place, fire was creeping towards her and on her face was an expression of sheer terror. From the blaze, one man engulf in flames flailed towards her aimlessly, sword still in his hand. He came within a meter of her before an arrow through his head stopped him in his tracks.  
"Come on!" Lynette shouted and pulled Aurora away.

Broken from her daze, she joined the others in fleeing the conflagration. Eila ran first, pulling Sanya along by the hand. Yoshika and Lynette worked to drag Aurora with them as her legs were failing her from fear. Perrine allowed herself a moment of stillness to look past into the plain to see where their horses had gone. She thought she saw them not too far away. They were far enough away that she didn't fear the rapidly growing fire would catch them, but close enough to return to them.

There was one man running towards them. It was the one, Trist, who had refused to take up arms. The others who had refrained from fighting had fled in other directions. "Wait!" he cried to the Strike Witches. "Count me amidst your friends! My love is with Gallia, not Neuroin! I fight for her not him!"

"Then flee with us!" Perrine shouted back to him, struggling to catch her breath. "Let's make a break for the forest and wait to see if our horses return!"

"Aye, my own horse has scattered in the conflict," Trist said as he caught up with them.

"We can trust you, right?" Eila asked, her eyes telling him that any wrong move would leave him a red stain in the grass. "Last man from Gallia we met tried to kill us all and roast my sister."

"Jarri Siilasvuo, yes, I know of him," Trist huffed. "I keep watch as captain of Paris' guard. I keep the peace, so to speak, and do my part to make the lives of those still living there better however I can. I hear things too. Siilasvuo's failure was quite well known. The story of the witches slaying one of Neuroin's generals gave us hope."

"I'm glad for that," Perrine said. Relief was filling her, as well as exhaustion. "I'm glad for this meeting then."

"Trist, sir, why are you here in Karlsland if you work in Paris?" Lynette asked.

"Yes, good question," Eila narrowed her eyes.  
"Simple," he said, smiling now. "I wanted to help the witches coming to help Gallia. I wanted to be out here truly making a difference! So when Neuroin was assembling teams to hunt you, I eagerly volunteered."

Among them, Aurora bitterly muttered, "Yeah, some help you were... My friend just died back there."

"One of your mounts?" Trist asked. His face flashed in momentary surprise when he saw the burns she was sporting.

"He wasn't just a mount!" Aurora cried, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Poor Bill was my friend, the most faithful companion I've ever had! The Sanya to my Eila and he died just wanting to keep by my side where he felt safe!"

"I disapprove of that metaphor," Eila frowned, hard.

"Eila..." Sanya elbowed her.

They had reached the forest line, and Aurora slumped against an oak tree. She hugged her knees and cried openly there while the group stood at the tree line watching the fire in the distance.

"We'll scout ahead," Eila told the group. "See if any other unexpected guests are in the forest."

She and Sanya set out together and Yoshika went around healing the various cuts the group sustained in the fighting. They rested and continued to watch the fire spread northwards with the breeze. They were south of it, and safe for the time being.

"Our things were with the horses," Lynette muttered as she sat in the grass. Her hands were trembling uncontrollably and she looked dazed.

Yoshika knelt beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Lyn, is everything alright?" she asked.

"No," Lynette sniffled, and wiped tears away with her arms. "No, everything is not alright! Oh Yoshika, don't you see!? I left Britannia to help Gallia, to ensure that the enemy did not spread to my homeland! I came to fight Dark Ones and help find other witches who would be the real heroes. I... I killed at least ten men and not to mention their horses!"

"Lyn, no, don't say that!" Yoshika hugged her tight. "You protected me and everyone else. Don't say things like that, like you're a bad person, because you're not! They would have killed us!"

"Why does it have to be this way?" she sobbed in Yoshika's arms. "We should be working together, not killing one another! Oh Yoshika, I didn't come here to fight a war!"

A short distance away, Perrine whispered to Trist, "Nor did I, but it seems this burden is upon us now." She leaned against a trees with crossed arms, and gazed upon their new companion. She placed him somewhere in his late thirties, maybe a few years older than Sakamoto. His hair was black, long, tied back and had a certain sheen to it. On his weary and worn face was a stubble of a beard, and Perrine thought his eyes were very similar to hers.

"Well, not everyone thought you witches were much for helpin'," Trist commented, looking out at the fire. Not once had he made eye-contact with Perrine, which she found a little offensive. "Neuroin offers the one who brings your lot back a nice, cozy position guarding some stupid town in the middle of Gallia. Or promises him gold to spend on whores far off in other lands. Some of us got hope that we'll see a real dawn in Gallia again, but others gave up long ago."

"It's disgusting," Perrine spat. "Truth be told, I'm quite glad to have met you. Some inside information on how Gallia is doing would be wonderful. I've been away eleven years."

"Aye, I know," he nodded like he was hardly regarding her. His attitude was too much like how Eila's had been in Britannia, and despite her excitement with meeting this man, old habits die hard. "I mean, you're part of the reason I rode all the way out here with these stupid gits. All talkin' about the whores in Copenhagen they wanted to fuck! It was a rather dreadful experience, but it seemed to work out for the better. I'm not daft, Perrine Clostermann. I knew who you were when I heard your name thrown about Paris."

"And who are you to know my name?"  
"Me? I'm nobody. Might 'ave been back before this nasty business. I was a knight who lived in Caen and-"

"I'm from Caen!" Perrine interrupted him.

"Yeah, I know," he nodded; his demeanor not changing one bit. "I knew your mum a bit. Her crew never fancied me much, 'specially that Fuso lass, but they were all fine folk."

"It seems a lot of people knew my mother," Perrine smiled. "In Denmark we met a Fuson woman named Takei Junko who was, like Mio Sakamoto, friends with my mother."

"So Takei's still kickin'?" Trist seemed surprised by that. "Except for Mio Sakamoto, I thought that whole crew to be wasted by now in this war. Lucchini dyin' told all those witches they couldn't even trust each other no more."

"No, Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke is still alive as well, and..." Perrine paused and realized something. "Wait! You mentioned Sakamoto as if know for a fact that she's okay."

"'Course I know she's okay. See her bloody face more than I'd have liked in Gallia and..." Trist stopped and stretched. "I've said too much, she's on some mission of secrecy or some such. I saw her in Gallia before, yes, and as far as I know she's still alive. She recognized me from before everything went to pieces, and despite the animosity we have towards one another we had a nice conversation over tea. It was maybe a month ago, and there was a lot of talk about sending riders to hunt for you and your group. I told her I was going to go as well, to make my mark in the fight against Neuroin and she told me to keep my mouth shut about her to if by chance we met. I've done a really bang-up job so far, but my silence on the topic of her begins here."

"There's so much going on," Perrine sighed, defeated. "So much that I don't know. About Sakamoto, and about my mother. I do not know if she told you, but Sakamoto raised me and took me as her ward when my parents both died in Caen. Yet, she never spoke any fond words of my mother; or much at all... yet Takei Junko says they were close friends."

"Aye, that they were," Trist told her. "I guess Mio Sakamoto didn't care too much for Evangelyne settling down there in Caen, and that was the end of it. A trivial little thing to end a friendship over."

"I believe there was more to it," Perrine said, and stepped away for a moment. Riding across the smoky fields, she gazed upon the horses returning to their masters. "Yoshika! Lynette! On your feet, our mounts are back!"

After a short, relieved reunion with the four the group marched into the cover of the forest. Trist separated briefly to hunt his horse, Nymeria, and brought her back. Swiftly catching up with the group, he told them, "The fire is spreading quite fast. We'd best put some miles between us and it. Where is your destination? I know the rivers and how to cross them in this area, all the way to Gallia."

"South, up the Rhine," Perrine answered. Eila and Sanya were still gone, and the air was filled with the smell of smoke.

"And we know we can trust you?" Aurora asked, less convinced than her sister it seemed. "How do we know you won't lead us to an ambush? I bet right at the river there's a thousand more waiting for us."

"Because, my dear," he raised a finger as he spoke, "an army is a large thing. Very hard to hide one or parley with one. Certainly not the thing to use when hunting a small group. Armies also move much slower than four horses. Neuroin did not send out thousands. His largest force numbers around two-hundred and they are far south if I'm not mistaken. And I am not."

"Still don't mean there's an ambush," Aurora argued with crossed arms. "You were with those fuckers who killed my friend."

"Aye, I _was_, but I'm not anymore. You could argue I never was. I never drew my sword in the first place."

"He didn't," Perrine spoke up, standing between the two of them. "I've seen enough stakes driven between this group and I don't feel like having to pry out another. Aurora, you'll have to go on my word that I believe this man is trustworthy."

"A peace offering," Trist said, and tossed something to Aurora. It was a glass bottle filled with something. "Whiskey," he told her, "Gallian and quite rare as only us officers are allowed to imbibe any sort of fiery beverage such as this. Ever had Gallian whiskey?"

"No," Aurora answered, and popped the top and took a big swig. She exhaled and covered it again, "It's not bad, I guess, for not being Suomish at least."

Trist shrugged, "It's the best I could do. You simply looked like a lass who needed a drink."

"Sharp eyes," she muttered in response.

They pressed on for several more hours before finding a clearing in the oak forest where they could rest in relative safety. The need for a night watch was more important than ever now. Eila and Sanya joined them again, relaying what Sanya had seen. There was another company of riders, smaller than the one they faced, miles to the north and heading in that direction. It didn't seem they were any immediate threat unless something provoked the riders to suddenly reverse their course.

They made camp and drew straws for the watch. Lynette was first, and then Perrine so the latter decided to accompany Lynette. They walked the perimeter of the clearing together a few times before resting at the fire.

"You know I'm not going to hurt you, lass," Trist spoke up, making Lynette jump in surprise. He had looked to be asleep a moment before.

"W-What are you talking about?" Lynette stammered.

"You look terrified of me," he answered, resting on his back on the hard ground without any sort of bedding. "You flinch when I come near and always make sure Perrine is between us."

"I...I..." Lynette's face went red, and her eyes were focused intently on the ground.

Perrine spoke for her, "Lynette here hasn't had much experience speaking to or being around men."

"E-Except my father," the Britannian added. "He was nothing like you though. Short, round, and jolly. While you're... ah..."

"Rugged? Intimidating? Uncouth?" Trist laughed quietly. "Yes, I suppose I'm not the friendliest looking figure. Perhaps before this all happened, you'd have thought differently. I was a knight of Gallia, and certainly looked the part! It's how I won over my wife."

"You're married?" Perrine asked, slightly surprised. He had not mentioned this before.

"Was," he clarified. "My wife didn't survive Gallia's fall."

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Trist told her. "I've had plenty of time to come to terms with it. Back to what I was saying though, Lynette here has no reason to shy away from me. I know Neuroin's men have a bad reputation - even the ones never truly aligned with him - but I'm the furthest thing from General Jaeger Kunze that you could-"

"Don't say his name!" It was Sanya's scared voice that cut him off. "He's a very, very bad man..."

"I didn't mean to frighten you, lass, sorry."

Eila sat up beside Sanya and yawned, "Seriously. That man is one of those things you know exists but just sort of try and forget about."

"Sort of like the Devil?" Lynette asked.

"He may as well be," Eila nodded. "Ever hear the stories?"

"W-What stories?" She whispered.

"Eila, please don't," Sanya tugged at Eila's sleeve.

Eila ignored her and spoke in a hushed voice, "Lynette should know, to paint a picture of just what kind of people Neuroin's working with. Jarri Siilasvuo was a cowardly tool, but General Kunze is a monster. He takes prisoners, young witches or just regular girls and... t-they come back empty-eyed with vacant expressions and-"

"Please stop, Eila!" Sanya cried, causing the sleeping witches to stir and grumble.

"Sorry, Sanya," Eila put an arm around her shoulder to comfort her. She explained to the others, "We...W-We met one of his victims in Orussia."

"Ah," Perrine yawned and stretched. "Nothing like horrible stories to fuel nightmares before bed. Thanks for that."

"Any time, Gallian," Eila frowned at her.

The events of the day and Eila's brief story didn't do anything to help the strained nerves of the Strike Witches. Only Aurora and Yoshika got any real sleep, mostly from sheer exhaustion. Lynette was up tossing and turning all night. Perrine lay awake thinking about her family, about Sakamoto, and about a history she had only just recently begun to learn about. Her goal seemed to have changed.

She had set out from Britannia in late January, three months ago roughly, to gather these witches and retake her homeland. Her mission had been clear, even if she was walking through a haze to complete it. Everything was about revenge; revenge against Neuroin for stealing away her home and killing her parents. She lay awake staring at the stars, thinking hard on everything.

What was Gallia to her? That strip of land with the red sky across the Strait of Dover? How much did she really remember of it? Blurry images and memories were all she had of the land she was so desperately fighting for. It was hard to tell apart dreams and reality when it came to those memories. Her father for instance, she remembered almost nothing about. A vague, blurry face and voice that sounded like it came from behind a closed door. She thought of her tale of revenge, the drive to slay Neuroin and avenge the parents she lost.

But what about the parent she had? The one who raised her as her own when she never had to. Perrine thought about what she was looking forward to most. Was it revenge? Or liberation? Or was it to see Sakamoto again? To know that she was okay, and to learn everything about her and Perrine's mother?

She thought about what Eila had said back at Castle Folkestone: how Sakamoto had said Perrine was like a daughter to her. Sakamoto had never been motherly, but she still had raised her. It couldn't have been easy, Perrine thought, having to raise a child that was not hers. One stricken with grief at her entire life changing abruptly and without warning. Perrine remembered the first couple years. She cried a lot, and felt nothing but confusion, loss, and frustration, and most of it was directed at this strange woman that was her caregiver. It must have taken an insurmountable amount of willpower on Sakamoto's part to tolerate this.

Then there were her years through puberty where Sakamoto's duty had grown even harder. Perrine remembered awkward talks about growing up, about love and about sex and what that all meant. Thinking back on those years made her cringe. Beyond growing up, she had first started to come to terms with the fact that she was Gallian nobility. With that came an inflated ego, and arrogance so astoundingly large that Perrine wished she could go back in time and slap herself. Back then, she had fancied herself a little princess.

Perrine eventually fell asleep. On her mind were those memories of growing up with Sakamoto as her foster-parent. There was a new sense of appreciation, the realization of something that she had always taken for granted. She wanted this journey to end, so that she could see her foster-mother again and simply thank her.

**To Be Continued**

_**Author's Note/Commentary**__- The fight in this chapter was written around the song _Fire, Death and Fear_ by _Rotting Christ_. It's worth listening to if you're in the mood for something heavy and filled with lyrics written by someone clearly not fluent in English just like the _Children of Bodom_ song a few chapters ago. It's also good if you're still trying to regrow your chest hairs from the last song. Once again, if you read at the same pace as me then blah blah blah..._

_Also, let's play a drinking game. Take five shots if you caught the _Game of Thrones _reference in this chapter. I caught it, which means I need to go take five shots! If I drink enough, I may rename this whole story _Chest Hair Quest_ instead of _Bringing the Dawn_._


	10. Riders of Karlsland

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Ten**

**Riders of Karlsland**

"_Charge your horses across the fields  
Together we ride into destiny  
Have no fear of death when it's your time  
Oden will bring us home when we die_

_The enemies are in disarray ride them down as they run_  
_Send them to their violent graves, don't spare anyone_  
_Dead and wounded lie all around see the pain in their eyes_  
_Over the field an eerie sound, as we hear the raven's cry._"

-_Cry of the Black Birds_ by _Amon Amarth_

**31**

"Hartmann, get up!" Came the usual irritated voice of Gertrud Barkhorn. She was a figure who was not as intimidating as she thought. Plain height, build, and physique along with very unremarkable dark brown hair that hung freely down to her shoulders made her blend into crowds. Her attire was much grander than her bland and forgettable face and amber eyes. Gertrud Barkhorn wore a red tabard with the black cross of Karlsland embroidered upon it. Beneath it was a shirt of shining and well-kept mail that nearly reached her knees. Her arms and legs were protected by polished steel gauntlets and greaves. On her back were two crossed and sheathed swords; great broad ones that could split cattle in two with a good swing. One sword bore the golden image of a roaring lion on the pommel; the other two crossed swords.

Before her was Erica Hartmann, her younger lieutenant who did not adhere to the strict military doctrine as Barkhorn did. Hartmann was only a year younger, but a prodigy as a witch and warrior. More than once had a sortie ended with Hartmann's kills far outnumbering Barkhorn's whether they were Dark Ones or Blackguards. She was of small size for her age, with a soft face and short blonde hair worn in a bob haircut.

The younger witch groaned and sat up from the sunny patch of grass she had been dozing in. It wasn't far from where their horses were tethered, as Erica didn't like to be far from her mare: Bobbi. Around them was a war camp built up on a hill that loomed over the floodplains of the upper Rhine. The camp was bustling with activity and it didn't take long for her to catch on that something was up.

"Honestly, we had warning three days ago that Gallians were riding this way and you think you can just laze about!" Barkhorn's rant was met with rolled eyes and an expression that told her that Erica didn't have a care in the world.

"Three days, Trudie," Hartmann yawned as she got to her feet. She wavered a bit and looked about, "So I guess they found their way here? I was hoping they'd get the point after the first time we mopped them all up... and the sssecond... or the third..."

Barkhorn squinted and caught the slurring in her lieutenant's speech, "Hartmann! Are you drunk right now!?"

"Workin' on it. Almost, boss," she answered and reached down to grab a bottle from the grass. She took a big gulp and smiled, "Don't worry. It's wine! All the best warriors ride to battle on wine!"

"No they don't!" Barkhorn shot back and stomped towards the post where their horses were. "Get suited up for battle. We're not going to even try to parley this time. The moment they ford that river, they're dead."

Erica skipped after her in a carefree manner, "I keep wonderin' why they're so active all of a sudden. It used to be we'd see maybe one fight every couple of months, usually with Dark Ones. Now every horse in Gallia is being given someone to ride it and being sent over to Karlsland. They're not razing anything, or trying to take land though. Isn't that weird?"

"Positively quizzical," Barkhorn answered, untethering her prized steed: Sleipnir. Gray and black, Sleipnir was what Barkhorn considered to be the fastest, strongest, and most loyal horse in all of Karlsland. So for far, she had never seen any to rival him although Hartmann's Bobbi could keep up just fine most of the time.

"You don't really think about it, do you?" Erica asked with crossed arms and a concerned face.

"No, and neither does the enemy. They do what they're told, and that's usually to hit us. We just hit back a lot harder."

"Yeah, that's true," the younger witch sighed as she untied Bobbi's reins as well. The mare whinnied happily and nuzzled against Hartmann. She chuckled and gave the horse's head a gentle hug. "Still, it all feels like part of something bigger. Maybe they're looking for something?"

"I heard something like that," Barkhorn said as she mounted Sleipnir. The proud horse seemed to glare disdainfully at Bobbi and Hartmann like their exchange of affection was a silly thing. "Mostly about some witch up near Denmark and her little crew. Why Neuroin or his generals would care about some girl out in the middle of nowhere is beyond me. All I know is that one of them is the pupil of Minna's friend."

"Mio Sakamoto?" Hartmann asked.

Barkhorn nodded, "Yeah, that one. Probably doesn't mean anything and besides, what could that group do that would have all these guys searching for them?"

Hartmann mounted as well, "I don't know then. It was just something I was wondering, I guess. Or..." she smiled a mischievous smile, "maybe you're just afraid those witches are stealing all the glory. Does Trudie want Neuroin's personal attention too?"

"N-No!" She awkwardly blurted out, "I do not, b-because it would only bring danger to me and those I love."

"Speaking of which," Erica leaned forward, resting her arms in Bobbi's mane, "when we got a handle on the Rhine, are you going to go back to and visit her?"

Barkhorn spurred Sleipnir towards the floodplains down the hill. She trotted off a few meters before answering over her shoulder, "Maybe when we get a handle on Neuroin himself. I'm fighting for Karlsland right now, there's no time for vacations."

"Do what you want," Erica shrugged.

"Meet me down here when you're geared up!"

Gertrud needed only one thing before she was ready for battle. She took a quick stop at her tent. It was small, no different than the rest with only the most Spartan of accommodations. A bed, a chest of drawers for her armor and clothes, and a weapon rack. From the rack she grabbed her favored riding weapon. It was a gift from Minna years ago, a weapon from Fuso that her friend Mio Sakamoto had brought from her homeland. The story behind it was long and confusing, and nobody was sure where it came from or where it was forged. It was a _naginata_, a Fuson polearm with a long, golden, curved blade at the end of a shaft. The weapon itself was about seven feet long, and awkward to use on horseback for anyone else.

Nearly every witch had a unique magic to them, and Barkhorn's was strength. The mighty and awkward weapon was a light as a feather to her. She called it _Gungnir, _as it had once been in the possession of a one-eyed warrior.

The rest of her cavalry were forming the line at the floodplains. The enemy had been spotted ready to cross this easy fording, and they were going to turn the river red with them. She rode ahead of the army of two-hundred as she always would, preparing to lead the charge beside Hartmann (who seemed to be taking her time). She thought about what Hartmann had asked her, if she would take a leave to visit her younger sister.

"So, what're we looking at this fine day?" Hartmann asked as she rode up beside her captain.

"Hundred," she answered, eyes focused west where they would be riding from. "That's what the scout says, but I'm hoping it's an odd number. Remember when we both went 24-24 last time?"

"Now you're starting to sound like Marseille," Erica chuckled.

Barkhorn was offended. Hanna-Justina Marseille was an old rival who Barkhorn had trained formally with years back, after the knights had taken her in. She had always been wildly competitive, to the point of trying to race the two of them between buildings or see who could eat faster.

"This is just for fun!" Trude exclaimed. "You've been drinking anyhow, so you'll be sure to lose."

"I don't think so," Erica found the wineskin at her belt and took a drink before offering it to her captain. "No inhibitions!"

Barkhorn pushed the wineskin back and shook her head, "I'll take my inhibitions thank you. As a leader, I need a collected and calm head that isn't all muddled with some drink. Tsk, wine, why would I ever want the stuff?"

"You're getting awfully defensive, Trudie," Hartmann said.

Across the Rhine, the forms of men on horseback appeared from the trees at the edge of the floodplains on the other side. Behind the two witches, the line had been formed. Two-hundred strong. Some of the most skilled warriors in Karlsland. "Are you sure you don't really want to indulge yourself for once?"

"Absolutely not!"

"I think you do~" she continued to get a rise out of her captain.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"  
"Do too!"

"Why are we having this argument, the enemy is going to be on us in minutes!" Barkhorn shouted at her.

"This isn't an argument, this is just contradiction," Erica said.

"What are you talking about, yes it is!" Trude said back, becoming continually flustered.

"There it is, you just contradicted me! An argument is not the same as contradiction," Erica argued.

"It can be," Barkhorn contradicted back.

"No it can't. An argument is a collective series of statements to establish a definite proposition. It isn't just contradiction!"

"But in an argument two people take up contradictory positions so..." Gertrud stopped herself and blurted out, "Why are we having this argument-"

"Contradiction," Erica interjected.

"- when the enemy is right there. Come on, Hartmann, let's lead the charge. Winner makes the loser dinner."

"You really are like Marseille!"

Barkhorn shouted, "_Kia!_" and snapped Sleipnir's reins to spur him into a thunderous charge. They were going to meet at the fording where the river was shallow, and as always the two were leading the charge where they would break the front lines and more often than not kill the enemy morale within seconds. Riding forth towards them was some knight of Neuroin, dressed in dark armor that was much heavier than the standard brigandine that the rank and file wore. Sleipnir and Bobbi charged forward, and the two riders moved in a fast figure eight pattern. They wove between one another with well-rehearsed ease. It was just a show, to tell the enemy that they were very skilled riders.

Hartmann broke from their zig-zagging formation as the enemy leader and Barkhorn flew forth at one another like jousters. With a mighty heave, Barkhorn sent her great weapon flying through the air at her enemy. The golden blade stuck him square in the chest and he was thrown off his horse. She trampled past him and swiftly retrieved her polearm, swinging it once more to decapitate the next rider after.

Hooves splashed over the waters of the ford and the deafening roar of two-hundred horsemen spread out as they charged forth to join the witches. The enemy was already scattered with their leader killed instantly and the realization that they had unwittingly ridden into an overwhelmingly large force. Over and over again, Gungnir claimed life after life as the golden blade cut down rider and horse over the ford.

Hartmann fought with a longsword with a cross decorated into the pommel. It glowed with an unknown gold light as she wielded it expertly atop her horse. It swung in a flurry, finding every enemy's exposed weak point and deflecting any spear or sword that came her way. With her free hand, she conjured up her own magic: A spell whose name she called, "_Sturm!_". A blast of twisting air came forth, throwing over a dozen men off their horses. It was a spell of air manipulation, with a variety of uses that she and Barkhorn had found over many battles. Their personal favorite was using it to fling Trude high into the air to strike down sharp-shooters.

"_Waidmanns heil_!" Barkhorn shouted to Erica as they passed one another in the fray.

"_Waidmanns heil_!" She called back, laughing. "What're you at!?"

"Twenty-two!" Barkhorn answered, and threw Gungnir to strike down a rider with a spear making a charge for her lieutenant. She rode over and retrieved the weapon and said, "Twenty-three now."

"Same," Erica said. The battle was nearly won already. Together they had demolished nearly half of the unprepared and fledgling force. These men were not trained warriors, merely given horses and weapons and told to ride forth. Against Barkhorn and Hartmann's force, it was a slaughter. They had seen a few horses tripping over corpses and sending their armored riders face first into knee-deep water and mud where they had trouble getting to their feet again.

Three Gallians were trying to escape on foot across the floodplains on the other side of the ford. Barkhorn pointed at them and said, "Spare at least one. You said you were wondering what they were up to, right?"

"I thought you said you didn't take prisoners," Erica replied as the two thundered off after them.

"No, I don't," she answered, grimly. "I do like to send my enemies messages though. Maybe I'll send this guy back with a few bruises and cuts and a warning to anyone else trying to pass this river."

"Yeah, yeah," Hartmann huffed, and sliced down one of the three retreating men. "Twenty-four..."

"Twenty-four!" Barkhorn shouted as she skewered another. She dismounted while Sleipnir was still running, and landed in the long grass with a roll. The retreating Gallian redoubled his efforts to sprint away, but Barkhorn easily caught him by his collar. Grabbing him in a rough headlock, she dragged him towards the river with Sleipnir and Hartmann following behind. The armored Karlslandians rode over to meet them.

"The battle's won!" One enthusiastically cried.

"You were amazing out there, Captain!" One of the few women in their army laughed. "You too lieutenant, your form was excellent! They were shitting their pants when they saw you rushing across the plain moving like that!"

Hartmann cheerfully replied, "You all did great too. I say tonight is going to be a good night, with lots of songs and drinks and-"  
She was interrupted by a splash as Barkhorn threw the man into the water, holding his head down below the surface. She waited a few moments as he thrashed and splashed before pulling him up again. "_Why were you sent!?_" the knight demanded.

The Gallian coughed and sputtered, choking water. Terrified, he muttered, "T-Take... t-this ford."

"Oh, you liar," Barkhorn growled and shoved his head beneath the water, shouting, "Neuroin would not send a force of fifty green men against us!"

She pulled him out, and he coughed and choked more. They had to wait a moment before he could finally speak. In a desperate, panicked voice he sobbed out, "I can't tell you! They'd torture and kill my whole family if-"

He was cut off as Barkhorn bent his arm behind his back to the point where a single tug would dislocate it. The man cried out in pain and thrashed about as Barkhorn wore a simple expression of impatience. She lowered his head with her other hand towards the water again, making him flinch. "They're not going to know what we learned. You fell in battle on the plains, we thought you were dead and you escaped with your wounds back to Gallia, _got that_!?"

Nodding frantically, he babbled out, "Yes! Yes! That's... that's what happened! I-"

He cried out again as Barkhorn bent his arm a little further and shouted, "So start talking before I change my mind!"

"I'll talk! I'll talk just let go of my arm!"

"I'll let go if you talk."

He needed a moment to catch his breath and regain his composure before he was able to speak, "Perrine Clostermann! W-We're told to hunt her and kill her. She's a witch and-"

"Bullshit," Barkhorn spat, tugging at his arm again to make him howl in pain. "Why would Neuroin send _you_ all after witches!? Why not Dark Ones!?"  
"I don't know!" The Gallian wailed. "S-Something about... about being hard to find... Karlsland is big, and there's not enough of them! I swear that's all I know!"

"Why is Neuroin so interested in one witch and her companions? _Tell me!_"

"T-They killed General Siilasvuo! T-There's rumors... rumors that they're planning to gather a force of witches, maybe to retake Gallia or overthrow Neuroin, _I don't know_! Your name was-"

"_What about my name!?_" Barkhorn demanded, and once again dunked his head beneath the river. She held it down longer this time, watching him flail with his one free arm as bubbles rippled against the surface. Finally, she pulled him up and gave him a short while to be able to speak again.

"He... they... I don't know, the ones in charge... t-think you're going to join Clostermann," he finally answered.

With one sharp yank, Barkhorn dislocated his arm and let go of him. He screamed in pain and flailed about in the river as she stood up and addressed the others, "That's it. It's about me, and by proxy Hartmann. Mystery solved then, and the sortie is over. Come on everyone, back to camp!"

After watching their captain brutalize that man, the excitement was dampened to a certain agree. They rode off with minds still intent on merriment that night. Barkhorn remounted Sleipnir, and slowly trotted through the ford back towards the floodplain with Erica not far behind.

"That was pretty scary, Trudie," she commented with a touch of concern in her voice. "I haven't seen you like that for a while."

Trude shrugged, spurring her horse a little quicker. "I wasn't in the mood to pussyfoot around with this guy. You got the answers you wanted, right?"

"Yeah, but I didn't want to start breaking arms," Erica huffed. "But isn't that a little weird of me to think? Beating on some poor guy is bad, but we killed twenty-four each. War is strange, Trudie."

"For once, I agree with you," Barkhorn sighed. "I guess I saw this guy and thought, _this man is aligned with the same monsters that hounded Chris and I back then..._ and I just kind of lost myself. I don't regret though because anyone who works with Neuroin willingly is scum."

"Yeah, hard to argue with that," Erica nodded.

The evening eventually came; a boisterous evening with lots of drinking, song and dancing. Barkhorn was resting in her tent on her Spartan bed wearing her tabard and tights, and nothing else. The slightly muted sounds of her soldiers enjoying themselves was welcome. She liked to run a strict show, but still enjoyed seeing smiles around. Erica Hartmann had a lot of them to go around, and it was times like these: moments in the evenings after a battle that she fully appreciated it. They didn't see eye to eye on how business should be conducted out of battle, but Hartmann was still Barkhorn's best friend in the world.

She wondered how her sister was doing far away where it was safe with their family. Chris had been through so much, more than any little child should have. At the same time, she had been so young, and Trude wondered just how much of it she remembered. Chris had still been a toddler when Trude had left to become a knight and her sister had been passed back to their parents. They only saw each other about once a year now, and not for very long. Gertrud secretly feared she was going to grow to be a stranger to her little sister, a simple name to her. It may be a name that would invoke pride and appreciation, but it would still just be a name. She wanted to be more to Chris than just a name, but she couldn't leave her duty here either.

Barkhorn tried not to focus on it too much, instead trying to lose herself in a book. The one good thing about a military life on the road meant she could find things that were not easy to come by. She had translated copies of Baltland and Suomish myths and poems. They were absolutely fascinating and fun to read. It was sweet relief to be able to read something that wasn't just the same old scriptures from the Bible. A closely guarded secret of hers, her faith in God was absolutely minimal. Prayer after prayer met with silence and nothing eventually weathered her trust. She trusted Sleipnir, her weapons: Gungnir, _Bladecatcher _and _Lionsclicer_; and Hartmann. That was all she needed.

Trude had almost fallen asleep when Hartmann's voice disturbed her from her rest, "Trudie, one of our scouts is back. They have news."

"Oh, good!" Barkhorn sat up and quickly dressed to something more presentable. She was ready within a minute, and hurried out, following Hartmann's lead to where a rugged and worn looking scout was tending to his exhausted horse.

"Captain," he saluted. With long, messy hair and need of a shave, he wasn't exactly the finest example of Karlsland beauty.

"You look familiar, but I don't think we've met..." Barkhorn commented. She didn't have time to get to know every single subordinate, especially when they numbered in the hundreds. "What's your name?"

"Major, ma'am, Major Wilder."

"Major?" She blinked in surprise. "What's a major-"

"No, no, my first name is Major," he gave a frustrated sigh and leaned against his horse. "Common mistake, I know and it's just the sweetest bit of irony I ended up joining the military, isn't it?"

"Your first name is Major?" Barkhorn stared in disbelief. "How come I've never met you, who are you?"

"Just transferred from this army," Major Wilder explained. "See, I'm from Britannia but was serving in the Fuso navy under this woman Kuroi, but she went crazy and-"

"Never mind, I don't care about any of that. What do you have to report?"

"Oh right, my report," he cleared his throat and began. "Okay, so I was supposed to be scouting northwest past the Rhine but was reading my compass wrong and ended up on the eastern side. I meant to ford across again when I could, but the only ford had a nasty colony of bees guarding it so I had to find _another_ route. Sure enough, that route has a bunch of Gallians storming through, so, using my stealth and guile I tailed them. They got into a fight with a group of witches and now the entire Northern Plain is on fire after one girl shot lighting from her fingers. I rode south as soon as I could, avoiding the wildfire and all. I kept watch on their group a little bit, and I can say for sure they're heading our way."

"Good work, I guess?" Barkhorn turned around and decided someone else would dismiss this man for her. Hartmann was at her side, as always, and when they were a short distance away Barkhorn murmured, "So what exactly was just conveyed to me? I somehow lost track of what he was saying between the bees and lightning bolts."

"That our Perrine is coming our way, I think," Erica answered. "What do you say, Trudie? Should we move north and meet her?"

Barkhorn crossed her arms and thought on it for a moment, "Yeah, it's probably for the best. Something's going on here, and I don't want us being the last to know. Plus, it's always good to keep in touch with allies, right?"

**32**

_"I don't know, I just don't think we should wander the city past dark," A young voice protested to her four friends. They were walking down a cobbled street of Paris with the sunset bathing them in a brilliant orange glow. "Let's go back to your house, Eva. I hate being out this late."_

_ "Late? Mio, it's hardly past supper!" Evangelyne Bellerose exclaimed and took her friend's hand. Mio Sakamoto's cheeks flushed red at her touch and was practically dragging her feet. "Come on, Mio, I don't know what it's like in Fuso but here girls can go out at night and have fun!"_

_ Mio looked to her other friends to gauge their reactions. Jun seemed lost in her own little world, but Minna smiled back to her and said, "Maybe Eva is right, Mio. It's your birthday, you should celebrate a little bit. This is the day you're not a teenager anymore!"_

_ "I suppose you're right," she muttered shyly, her eyes going from Minna back to Evangelyne. Evangelyne was as beautiful as Gallians came. Long flowing locks of slightly curled golden hair, piercing blue eyes behind glasses, and a slim body made her very easy to look at. Mio could hardly stop herself most of the time. When she smiled, it made Mio's heart flutter and her mind freeze up._

_ "This though," Evangelyne put her hand on Sakamoto's waist, where her sheathed sword was, "has got to go. This is Gallia, Mio! Nothing is going to attack us here, so stop carrying this thing around. I swear it's the reason why none of the men here are ever interested in us."_

_ "Fitting as I'm not interested in them either," Mio huffed, and looked towards Minna for support._

_ "I have a fiancé," Minna reminded._

_ "What about you, Jun?" Evangelyne asked the other Fuson girl._

_ She snapped out her daze and blinked in confusion for a moment, "Oh, wait, what? Oh, no, it's not a bad idea for one of us to be armed. I don't know if it needs to be a sword..."_

_ Evangelyne groaned, "Come on, we're in Paris! We can relax for once, don't you get it? Come on Mio, wind down and let loose for once! Let's go find Lucretia, I bet she'll want to have some fun with us!"_

Mio Sakamoto woke up in her bed, knowing how that dream would have ended. She never relaxed, never stopped worrying, never cut loose or did any of those things that Evangelyne wanted. No matter how badly she wanted to be that friend Evangelyne treasured the most, she couldn't go against the way she was raised. Discipline, calm and clear thinking were what she had been built upon, and they clashed with the free spirit of Evangelyne Bellerose (and later Clostermann). It was when they were doing something important that Sakamoto and Evangelyne had really gotten along. Their minds worked well together, the thrill of battle and adventure called them both and when duty called they were like sisters. Back then the Dark Ones were a small threat, and Neuroin's name had been a blurry thing in the backdrop. Then, seemingly without warning, he had come out of nowhere with an army fit to conquer Gallia.

It was the first time in many years she had dreamed, or even let herself think of Evangelyne. Any brief recollection she always pushed out of her head, because it was just too much to bear. Her heart had been broken twice by this woman. Once with betrayal and then with her death. It was strange how easily she had been able to forget about her, even when the living reminder was there before her for eleven years. Perrine looked so much like her, save having her father's eyes.

The dream had opened up wounds Sakamoto had long thought closed over. She felt the sting of grief again, and a longing to see her old friend again and hear her laughter. It was gone forever though, and now she was in the 'service' of her murderer.

She stood up from her bed and thought hard about herself, and what she was doing. Her room was a dull, dark thing with simply a bed, chest of drawers, and mirror on wall. Against the chest with her clothes was her sword, _Reppumaru_ in its red sheath. The blade had once belonged to her father before being passed to her, and was some fifty years old. Recently, she hadn't been able to maintain it as well as she would have liked. It was slightly dulled, flecked with rust, and warped in a few places from decades of use. Inside her chest of drawers were several sets of clothes, reworn over and over during the months she had been there. Three white robes, and a set of black clothes at the bottom. The white robes were a sign of protest, a way to speak out that she had not given entirely into the black around her. Those who wore the black found the gesture amusing.

Sakamoto didn't know what drove her hand that morning, but for the first time she dressed in black. A long dark coat with a belt at the waist, high boots, and black cloak made her match the female officers that served under Neuroin. There were very few others. Gazing upon herself in the mirror, she felt like she was fit more for a funeral than anything else. Normally she wore her hair tied back tightly in a warrior's ponytail, but now it was worn freely. There was something else too that was new. A spark in her eyes that hadn't been there before. It was a spark of life, of emotion that had been gone over the course of dead days over many months. Something about a brief memory in a dream - a fleeting scene from another life - had woken her up from a sleepy daze.

Boots clicking on that black substance everything around her was made from, Sakamoto easily found the one she 'served'. It was in the morning he usually stood at a balcony watching the east. That spark inside her begged for a confrontation with him. It could mean pain and punishment, but she wanted to put a voice to her anger.

"Black suits you better," Neuroin said without turning around to look at her.

"As I've been told," she replied in the same neutral voice she almost always used. "Although, your opinion is biased."  
Sakamoto stood beside him, watching the eastern horizon and wondering just what he was thinking about standing here every morning. It was the direction of Karlsland, and she wondered if his thoughts were there. Gallia was firmly held, but she didn't believe he could muster the force to ever take Karlsland now. The people had rallied, their armies were strong and poised at every border. It was unlikely he would be able to muster any assault in their direction for some time if that was what he wanted.

"I wonder," the witch spoke up; her tone was subtly condescending, "I wonder many things as the wise often do. Have you ever known human pain? Not the pain of a wound in battle, but the searing pain of a gash in your heart as someone dear to you is ripped away. You had to have. You've spoken of it before, in passing. You said _it_ could bring the dead back to life if _it _was fed enough. Just why would you care about something like that otherwise?"

"You're perceptive," Neuroin answered, a pale hand resting against his chest. Sakamoto knew what it was: a concealed, glowing red jewel worn as a necklace. She knew what that jewel did, and what Neuroin claimed it could do. "I've seen it in my dreams, and they have never misguided me. Fed and satiated with your kind's magic, it grows and we share the fruits of its power. I know once it is fully fed, it could bring anyone killed to life with just a thought. Can you imagine that? All the dead humanity mourns that have fallen in my conquests could be returned. How would they view me then?"

"As their rightful ruler, my lord," Sakamoto answered, humoring him. "Yet, I wonder just how much it will demand before you can accomplish such a feat. If I may be so bold, just how much of this conquest was orchestrated by you alone? The little trinket gave you the power to bring armies, weapons, and the material to build great monuments from nothing. People would have flocked to you as king, so why were you sent down the warpath? How many witches did you kill over the centuries before you could muster together a force to take Gallia? How many witches will it take killing to hold it?"

"My answers are my own," there was no trace of emotion in his voice, but he did not seem pleased at her probing. "You're gazing upon a very small part of a grand plan. Witches are but a small sacrifice for the greater good. What you would consider a tyrannical rule of Gallia is merely a bump in what will be something much greater. Can you see a world with a leader who can reign through the centuries; conjure an army and walls to protect his subjects; and bring the very dead back to life?"

"Yes, that would be an ideal kingdom," Sakamoto nodded, straight faced, "were the ruler benevolent."

"As I said, the current state of things are merely a bump."

She nodded once more, and said, "That still does not answer my question. Have you felt human pain?"

Sakamoto was surprised when he gave something of an honest answer, as she expected him to simply deflect the question.

"Perhaps, long ago," he said, taking a moment to think back. "It was long ago that was I a mere man. Two whole centuries ago before I could work magic like a witch or those foolish wizards. I had a wife then, a witch, who was the first sacrifice."

"I hope it was worth it," Sakamoto's voice was bitter and spiteful. "I imagine the pain of losing someone you love, and knowing you orchestrated their death would be unbearable."  
"It is not, for I know it shall be undone. For the witch you grieve, her return may be a reward for your service."

Sakamoto nodded, although she didn't believe it. Not for a second did she believe Evangelyne could be brought back from the grave, nor did she want that. The dead were meant to stay dead, no matter how painful their passing was. Sakamoto believed the little jewel worn around his neck had driven him to some sort of insanity. In demanded death, destruction, and for its host to clumsily rule with a tyrannical fist. Sakamoto had never seen any capacity to heal, rebuild, or show any sort of mercy or compassion. At best, it could emulate and copy the magic from witches nearby.

The gesture Neuroin presented there was almost kind, but Sakamoto knew there was no real goodness backing it. Presenting the idea that Evangelyne could somehow be brought back from the dead was just a way for him to try and gain more of her loyalty. For now, she had other more pressing worries on her mind. That horrible Jaeger Kunze was on the war path, and the witches she had organized were going against him. Not only was he a notoriously skilled warrior, but his vices were disgusting beyond words. Sakamoto knew nothing about the Alexsandra that was journeying with them, but wished dearly that Perrine and her companions could protect her.

**To Be Continued...**

(_**Author's Note/Long Commentary With Songs No One Will Listen To**_**- **_A few things here about music actually. Lots of stuff ended up being inspiration for me for this part of the story, and I decided I share some. For the whole Riders of Karlsland thing, I wanted to write that after listening to the song _Sons of Riddermark_ by _Battlelore_ and subsequently reading the second book in the _Lord of the Rings_ series. I think it's pretty obvious, but I couldn't resist writing things this way after listening to that song and just picturing those two riding off to battle with a small cavalry battalion behind them._

_For characters, a bit of Barkhorn's personality in this was also inspired by _Any Means Necessary _by _Hammerfall_; a band whose name was not used as a weapon in this story since it's too close to _Gloryhammer_. It's a cheesy slice of power metal, but a lot of fun. Barkhorn's not the heartless hairy-chested badass like the subject of the song, but as the story goes on you'll see more of the 'do anything to win' side of her which is more detrimental to her than anyone else._

_For Hartmann, it's another _Battlelore_ song from an earlier album: _Swordmaster_. Fits near word for fucking word. _

_And both of them combined, their theme song obvious is _Waidmanns Heil _by _Rammstein_, a song that could literally be played over any fight scene with those two in it and it would be fucking awesome. _


	11. The Fourth and Fifth Witch

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Eleven**

**The Fourth and Fifth Witch**

_"Ages of war and sorrow  
One needs much to survive  
Danger hiding in the darkness around us  
Your sword is the only law  
Brave enough to challenge your enemy?  
Never underestimate the power of evil  
Those creatures are born to kill  
Trust your blades and black blood will spill."_

-_Swordmaster_ by _Battlelore_

**33**

Thunder rolled across the sky, with streaks of lightning streaming against the clouds. Rain fell in windy drizzles, soaking the seven travelers as they followed the flatter ground around the Rhine as they moved south. Lack of rain had caused the river to shrink, but it seemed that this would soon be remedied by the weather. It was the first rain of the season and the first rain since the previous summer. The Strike Witches, and their companion, trudged through long grass beneath the storm.

Lightning burst above them with a booming crack, and Yoshika cried, "I really hate this!"

Sharing her horse, Aurora held her hand from behind, "It's just loud noise, don't let it scare you."

"She's right," Perrine replied, riding just ahead of them. "We'll keep moving and this will pass."

Aurora nudged the horse she was sharing alongside Trist and his mount, Nymeria. They had journeyed with him for a week now, and for the most part he kept to himself, riding either far behind or ahead. His presence unnerved Yoshika and Lynette; Sanya and Eila didn't seem to have an opinion, and despite being from Gallia, it was Perrine he seemed to get along with the least. His general refusal to ever look her in the eyes while speaking frustrated Perrine to no end. It was an attitude that had begun to develop throughout their time together. At first it had been subtle, something Perrine had hardly noticed, but now it was growing day by day.

"So, share the wealth?" Aurora asked him, reaching her hand out.

"'fraid not, lass," he shook his head, continuing to look forward. "You finished off the last of the whiskey last night. All our flasks are dry."

"There's not even any wine left?"

"Not even a drop."

Aurora sighed loudly and frustratedly, swearing and murmuring in Suomish. Eila rode past her with Sanya and shook her head, "You people, I swear."

"Hey, Eila," Yoshika spoke up, still trembling from the thunder booming in constant intervals. "I was wondering this ever since we ran into that guy back in Denmark... how did you become a wizard? Or, uh, what _is_ a wizard exactly?"

Perrine slowed Hasufel and shook her head, "Honestly, such a thing is common knowledge. Are you really saying you don't know what a wizard is?"

"N-No..."  
"Oh lay off her," Aurora grumbled. "She's from Fuso, remember? When was the last time you heard of a Fuson wizard?"

"She's been in Europe for nearly a year now, that excuse no longer works," Perrine did not let off.

Trist joined the conversation, "I'd like to hear this story too. Believe it or not, not all of us Gallians are versed in all the different kinds of magic there is. To me, it's all the same I suppose. 'cept Neuroin's magic is a whole lot more evil than all of yours."

"What an astute observation," Perrine muttered.

"Well, if you're all interested..." Eila sighed, scratching her head, "...I guess I can tell you. It's not all that special, and the more interesting parts require a higher mind to understand. Basically a long time ago before any of these kingdoms and lands were these kingdoms and lands, ancient people found a way to use magic without having to be a witch. It's hard to explain in words... but basically a powerful spell is performed that attunes a person's body to understand and use the remnants of a magical fire that died out a long time ago. We call it the Ancient Fire, and the spell is very painful and... ah, not all of us survive it. Once 'attuned', we wizards can understand old writings that tell us how to use this fire to do nearly anything."

Aurora finished for her, "Which mostly means making her magic do her chores for her. And occasionally, you know, burning people alive."

Eila bit her lower lip and looked away.

Yoshika simply scratched her head in confusion, "Uh... could you start over. I didn't really understand it."

"What didn't you understand?" Eila asked her.

"All of it," she replied.

"Honestly," Perrine said again, "it's really not that different from our magic minus the 'attunement' nonsense and being able to use your magic for a variety of things. Do your research and you'll see that our magics both stem from the same source."

"And how do you know all this?" Trist asked, with a bit of a smirk on his face. "We knights were considered quite educated back in my time, and I don't know any of this. Granted, I wasn't paying attention to what Eilar there said."

"Sakamoto taught me," Perrine proudly explained. "She always said a well-disciplined mind worked well with a well-disciplined body. Not only did she train me hard in the art of swordplay, but made sure I was educated as well."

Trist smiled to himself, and said, "That's good. Glad to hear it."

Perrine thought that comment odd. Come to think of it, despite his general refusal to show proper manners when speaking to her, he did seem to have some sort of strange interest in her wellbeing. Whatever the reason was, it made Perrine uncomfortable.

They rode on, with the conversation idle and directionless. The rain kept drizzling down, unchanging, while thunder boomed and lightning streaked across the sky. Even with the rain, the river was rather low.

"This is a ford, I think," Aurora pointed out.

Sanya, who had been snoozing while resting her head against Eila's back suddenly sat up wide awake. Eila caught onto it immediately, "Sanya, what is it?"

"Something's on the other side of the river," she said in a worried, scared voice. "S-Something big, like a lot of little something's all together."

"Makes sense," Trist commented. "A ford is a good place for an ambush, generally speaking. It's not like I would know any of the enemy's movements or tactics or anything though."

"Wait!" Sanya gasped, "Something's moving really fast the other way too...t-through the sky."

"Dark Ones!" Perrine shouted, "Everyone dismount and ready your weapons. Trist, you... make sure the horses don't run off."

"An honor really, m'lady," he shrugged.

The witches dismounted, focused east waiting for the threat Sanya had spoken of. Perrine stood side by side with Aurora. After several battles with her, she was growing more confident fighting alongside her. Lynette was not far behind them with _Gloryhammer_ beside Yoshika, and Eila and Sanya were behind them.

"We're being hedged in," Aurora said, looking over her shoulder across the river. "Think we should make a break for it south?"  
"No," Perrine shook her head. "If the Dark Ones are in this area, it's our duty to eradicate them. Just because their primary duty is to hunt us does not mean they won't slay any other poor souls they come across. I don't want innocent deaths that could have been prevented."

"Yeah, let's take 'em then," Aurora nodded, smiling. "I've been itching real hard to take a swing at Neuroin's tools. The best part? You can't set the bloody Rhine on fire!"

"Yeah yeah," Perrine muttered.

Without a moment's warning, a score of skirmishers flew across the treetops, blowing up a flurry of leaves behind them. The whistling of arrows and the twanging of a bowstring could be heard as Lynette thinned their ranks before they even reached the warriors. Her arrows exploded outward with magical force, sometimes destroying three or four at a time.

"You know, when you're not a wreck, I feel like I could kiss you!" Aurora shouted back at their archer.

Lynette simply smiled, blushed, and gave a ladylike bow before raising _Gloryhammer_ and felling another enemy. The skirmishers that made it past simply fell to Aurora and Perrine. After a quick scuffle, Yoshika pointed north.

"T-That way, l-look!" She cried.

Coming in from the north, strafing them were six sharp-shooters; the same kind that had nearly killed Perrine and Aurora in Britannia. Lynette's face went pale, and her confident stance suddenly became loose and weak.

"Lynette!" Perrine cried, "Don't do this again! If you do this again we're all going to die!"

The burden was not entirely on Lynette this time though. One of the sharp-shooters went up in a ball of infernal fire from Sanya's wand. From the south, two more were approaching on them.

"Looks like Neuroin _really _wants us dead," Eila commented. She raised her hand to bring forth a magical shield to keep her and Sanya safe. It was a great, spectacular thing of swirling runes against magic circles. It made a sound like metal striking a bell as sharp-shooter bolts were deflected. Another explosion from Sanya's wand eradicated one from the south.

"Great," Perrine gritted her teeth, "_Just great!_"

She didn't have much more time to complain as bolts of black matter were shot in her direction. She dove into a headlong roll and avoided being skewered a second time. A few bits of shrapnel scraped her back, but the wounds were superficial. She was on her feet again in a second and was relieved beyond words to see Lynette firing back. The sharp-shooters were strafing and moving to avoid her arrows, but the pressure on them was keeping them from firing accurately. Nearby, she saw Trist taking cover at the tree line as he unsuccessfully tried to keep the horses under control. They were panicking and making a break for the woods. Only his loyal steed stayed.

Yoshika, frozen in place, was suddenly pulled into the protective guard of Eila's shield by the wizard. Aurora was also scrambling for cover in the tree line.

"You two get those ones!" Perrine shouted to Sanya and Lynette, and pointed to the four north. "I'll take the other three."

"How do you plan to do that!?" Eila demanded, "You'll get yourself killed!"

"How do you think I'm going to do that!?" Perrine snapped at her and broke into a sprint, ignoring her words of caution. Bolts came hurling her way, but with nimble feet she dodged and rolled to avoid them. Bits of shrapnel still cut her in several places, the most painful being straight over the eye. She didn't need to be too close, and soon she had closed the distance enough.

"_Tonnerre!_" Perrine screamed, and let her magic do the work. Thunder cracked and lighting burst forth from her hand to obliterate one sharp-shooter into a thousand fragments. She barely had time to admire her handiwork before screaming again, "_Tonerre! Tonerre!_"

She stood breathing hard. The amount of magical energy she had channeled into those three spells was tremendously exhausting. She supposed this was how Eila felt after her fight with Siilasvuo. While she would have loved to just sit down and rest, she knew this battle was unlikely to be drawing to a close soon. She turned around to see the last sharp-shooter erupt in a fireball. Perrine jogged over to the group before stopping to catch her breath.

"That's all I have," Sanya told them, an apologetic expression on her face.

"You did great," Eila told her, and put an arm around her shoulder.

Lynette approached Perrine and asked, "How are you doing? Y-You're bleeding in a few places."

"More than a few," Perrine winced. She took off her glasses to wipe the blood from her brow and eyes. "Miyafuji, if it's no trouble-"

"N-None at all!" Yoshika quickly dashed over and went to work to patch Perrine up.

Aurora and Trist stepped up the group, and the veteran witch looked quite relieved. She clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Look! Look! I got to keep all of what's left of my fingers this time around! Good job, all of you!"

Perrine smiled, and felt insurmountable relief that the only price they had to pay for that fight was a few scratches on her part. While her magic was already nearly spent, her physical exhaustion began to fade away as Yoshika's magic mended her cuts. She sighed as her aches and stings began to slowly fade one by one.

"When make camp tonight, I'd like to mend your clothes," Lynette told Perrine.

"I'd appreciate that," she told her, and hadn't even really noticed how frayed her surcoat was. Not only her surcoat, but her skirt and tights as well. It gave her the appearance of a ruffian or vagabond, and she wanted none of it.

Trist sighed loudly, and shook his head beside them, "That's very noble of you, Miss Clostermann..." He said her last name awkwardly, in a strange way like it was uncomfortable, "...but honestly, risking your life like that was rather reckless. If you'd died, who would have carried out Miss Sakamoto's mission?"

Perrine exhaled irritably at his remark. He sounded distinctly Gallian there, or at least Perrine felt like she would have said the same thing if it had been someone like Aurora rushing off to take four sharp-shooters alone. She was going to reply, but noticed everyone looking off to the west over the river. Perrine turned to look at what had caught their attention, and saw two-score Gallian horsemen riding before countless footmen. Flying Dark One skirmishers were already soaring past them to start the fray early.

"Okay, someone _really_ wants us dead!" Aurora shouted, looking about frantically. "Where the fuck did Grima go!?"

"I don't know," Trist answered, surprisingly calm in all that was going on. "I was under the impression you witches could handle anything. What's a small ground army?"

"You shut your mouth, Gallian!" Aurora retorted, bringing _Planet Smasher_ to the ready. "You're probably all calm because they'd drag you back to Paris when you tell them you're a prisoner."

"You're perceptive... Suom," he smiled dryly, and put his hands on his hips as he stepped over to the only horse still with them; his. From his pack he retrieved a longsword, and a shorter sword meant for parrying with his off hand. "...the problem is with that, I'm not going to tell them I'm a prisoner. Call it a knight's honor."

"Should we attempt to parley?" Perrine asked the rest, hand on her rapier as she watched the enemy start approaching the river from the forests of Gallia.

"C-Can we?" Yoshika stammered.

"They were keen on having us dead last time," Eila pointed out, shaking her head, "I think anything coming out of Gallia is on the order to kill right now."

"...and our horses are scattered..." Lynette gravely reminded them. She raised her longbow, and conjured and arrow, training it on the closest skirmisher. There were less than twenty spearheading the assault, with the rest probably destroyed in the first attack. A couple seconds passed and she let the arrow fly, bringing forth a new one before the first even found its mark.

"So, we stand and fight?" Perrine said, steeling her nerves for the battle ahead. "Dear father in Heaven we must be outnumbered twenty to one here!"

"Yeah, but we're witches," Aurora stood by her side, smiling with her weapon in hand. "In my old line of work, we were worth at least fifty of any regular soldier!"

Perrine raised her free hand, and tried to conjure up some spark of electricity. The only thunder was the kind marking the sky presently. That was it, she was completely out of magic, so the option of clearing the enemy out by the dozens wasn't there. She shouted to the rest, "Everyone, retreat back to the trees! Those men on horseback are going to ride us down in the open like this! Lynette and Eila, try to deal with them. I'll work on the skirmishers with Aurora, and Trist... you, uh, try not to die!"

"Alrighty then," the older Gallian twirled his longsword in his right hand, "heh, time for a bit of a rough and tumble."

The Strike Witches, and one man, fell back as the sounds of hooves splashing through the shallow Rhine echoed out. Skirmishes hit the ground as Lynette's arrows whistled. Aurora's _Planet Smasher_ cleaved one Dark One and using the momentum from that strike she destroyed another. The riders were scrambling and spreading out to better avoid the arrows coming at them.

"These ones seem a bit sharper," Aurora commented, then swung again.

Perrine ran a skirmisher of her own through, keeping half an eye on the approaching men. "Yes, now let's hope their weapons aren't."

Nearby, Sanya was taking cover just behind Eila and her handy shield. Yoshika was at the front lines with Aurora and Perrine. For once she had her longsword, and clumsily managed to beat back a single skirmisher who had kept her on the defensive. Two more advanced on her, but Aurora came at them like a bolt of thunder, smashing them both down and shouting, "Not this fight, kid! You'll get your chance at glory some other time!"

Yoshika nodded and scrambled back, looking for some sort of hiding place.

Lynette was doing the most work, firing off arrow after arrow. Even making active efforts to evade, her aim was still great and she was making every other shot. Rider after rider fell, and occasionally the horse and man behind them would trip and be sent flying into the water. Panicking horses reared and threw off their riders as they broke from the battle in fear. These were not trained warhorses, and it seemed the Gallian forces under Neuroin were using whatever they could get their hands on.

Still, the riders circled around them through the trees, albeit awkwardly. Not every mount was cowardly, and the riders seemed privy to basic tactics. Eila covered their flank, raising a shield to guard her from behind, and using her other hand alone to conjure magic. She brought forth her normal bolts of energy. They blew horse and rider apart in a sickening fashion and split trees.

"I can't do this forever!" Eila warned them all.

Perrine felt anxiety and panic biting at her faced with the sheer number of enemies. Aurora's axe was well suited for dismounting and countering cavalry, but her rapier was not. While she could turn away spears and swords, and more or less keep Lynette covered, she felt like she wasn't contributing. She began to realize the riders were hedging them back into the open by keeping pressure on their flank. After six or seven bolts of magic, Eila threw her hands down and shouted, "I'm going to pass out at this rate!"

Lynette was panting, sweat pouring from forehead as she weakly conjured up arrow after arrow. She was missing much more consistently. Aurora's lack of defense was showing as well, and Perrine could see various cuts and lacerations from spears on her. Now the footmen were advancing on them, circling around to flank. At least, they fought on Perrine's turf. She deflected their sword strikes, keeping them at bay, but wasn't finding many openings for counter attacks, their numbers were just too much.

"I can't..." Lynette fell to her knees, panting, "I can't do it!"

Her momentary weakness was spotted by one Gallian soldier, who dashed between the witches, recklessly going in for the kill. Trist's parrying sword's point went through his throat and he went tumbling to the ground. "Honestly," Trist said, side stepping a jab at him and swiftly removing his attacker's arm with his longsword, "what kind of low-life goes after a helpless little girl?"

"Desperate ones," Aurora grunted, her own exhaustion peaking.

The pushing and hedging by the enemy was more or less successful as they were forced out into the open again by pressure from the flanking.

Above the fighting and shouting, one powerful voice shouted, "Lay down your weapons, _now! _My men too!"

The Gallian's backed off, and standing out in the open in the long grass was a man with a flowing red cape signifying his leadership. He held Yoshika in one strong arm, and had his knife against her throat. He must have grabbed her while everyone was preoccupied. The witches stood facing him, panting from exhaustion. With a moment of 'calm', Perrine's adrenaline was fading and she was only now aware of the scrapes and cuts she had suffered. She had a particularly bad gash right under her left breast that was bleeding heavily. Clutching it, she stammered out, "L-Let her go, you monster! Her magic only heals; it does not harm!"

"No witch's magic does such a thing," He called back. In his arm, tears were pouring down Yoshika's terrified face. The claim was ludicrous but this was not a time for arguing. Everyone was silent, and the only sounds was the falling of rain and the constant booming of thunder. Again, the man shouted out, "I said, lay down your weapons!"

Perrine was the first, dropping her rapier and stepping towards him boldly. She had a plan.

"You back right up!" He demanded, shaking the knife threateningly. "Don't think I'm afraid to cut her throat!"

"Take me instead," Perrine told him. "Do you know of me? I'm Perrine Clostermann, the one leading this little band of warriors. Surely Neuroin has his eyes set on me and not some little harmless Fuson girl, right?"

"That is the one he wants..." One of the Gallians muttered.

Eila suddenly spoke up, "Perrine, stop it! Don't negotiate with him!"

"There's no better plan, now is there?" Perrine said back, taking a deep breath and trying to think of something. If they took her alive, she assumed she could simply rest and then blast her way to freedom with magic. If they killed her, then that would complicate things.

"He wanted the wizard too!" The red-caped man said, and eased his grip on Yoshika. "Where is she!?"

"Dead," Perrine bluffed. "Died back in Denmark to Jari Siilasvuo. It's just me."

"What about the others?" One of the soldiers asked, "They're witches, what do we do? And what about that one?" He gestured at Trist, "Who is that?"

"Me?" Trist said, dropping both his swords and raising his hands to show they were empty. "Their prisoner from the last battle. It's a good thing you guys came. That Perrine there can toss lightning about from her fingers. Why, it's a wonder she hasn't killed you all by now."

The leader bit his lip and looked unsure, "Yes, we were told you were capable of such feats. Where is your lightning, witch?"

"I don't want to kill my fellow Gallians," Perrine bluffed once more. "We serve different means, but we're all Gallian, are we not? I don't want to harm any of you but... if you do not release my friend and let the rest of them go, then we're going to have trouble. Take me instead of her."

"And I have your word you won't use your magic."

Perrine nodded, "Bind my hands and you'll see. I want the rest of them to go though. They're no use to Neuroin."

Perrine approached the two of them, and the red-caped man let go of Yoshika and then roughly grabbed Perrine into the same hold with the knife at her neck. Yoshika scrambled away, crying openly as Aurora and Lynette both grabbed her into a tight, protective embrace.

"You!" The leader pointed at Trist, "You too, you're with us now. You're free."

"Relatively speaking," Trist nodded, his expression neutral.

Aurora then shouted, "He's lying! He's not our prisoner! He defected, and he comes with us!"

Trist sighed heavily and glanced at Aurora, clearly unhappy, "You just complicated a lot things, you know?"

"What do you mean?" Aurora asked, matching his glare with her own sinister one. "You're not running back off to Gallia to tell them all about us!"

"This is not a conversation we should be having out loud!" Eila loudly complained. "You two have to be the dumbest-"

The red-caped Gallian suddenly shouted, "All of you shut up! Men, take that man prisoner and kill the rest. Neuroin just wants their bodies."

"_You bastard!_" Perrine screamed, and for a moment, felt the cold edge of the knife against her throat. Then something happened, something unlike anything Perrine had ever felt or experienced. Everything went white for a brief moment, and she felt herself falling forward, completely numb with the only sound in her ears a sharp, high pitched ringing. She felt her body shake as she hit the ground, and feeling returned. Her whole body was tingling in some strange sensation. It was the same tingling sensation her hands felt when she used her spell, but this time it was all over her body and much stronger.

Her vision began to return, and she rolled over on her back. Eila was crouched beside her, Sanya too, and Eila reached out to touch her. She retracted her hand like she had been hurt, and the two of them were yelling something but Perrine couldn't hear. She managed to get to her knees to see what was happening. The man who had held her hostage there was on his back with smoke rising from him, mostly likely dead. Around her, she saw the Gallians backing away from her. Aurora was swinging her weapon in their direction to scare them off as she made her way to Perrine.

Trist was there before her, he pushed past Eila and Sanya and helped Perrine to her feet. He winced like he had been hurt as well, and like the other two he was trying to say something. Perrine looked west, across the Rhine, and saw that even more Gallians were coming to reinforce them. This time, nearly all of them were on horseback.

She shoved Trist away, and again he winced like her touch had been painful. Perrine raised her hand and shouted the word, "_Tonerre!_" without hearing herself. A massive blast of lightning came from her hands, greater than anything she had ever created. It centered on a single fleeing Gallian, but sent several flying away from where it impacted. Her spell inspired their flight even more, sending the hundred or so men fleeing towards the reinforcements.

"-rine! Perrine!" Came the voices of her friends, and Trist.

The weird tingling feeling all over her body was disappearing rapidly, and everything was starting to return to normal. She turned around, feeling dizzy and spent, and suddenly lost her balance. More than one pair of hands were there to catch her, and she wondered a bit why Trist seemed concerned about her. She wondered if he saw her as some sort of way for Gallia to be liberated, and therefore an asset to be protected. It felt like there was more to it though.

"Come on, Perrine, talk to us!" Eila's worried voice rang in her ears. "Are you okay!?"

"Yeah... yeah...jus' fine..." Perrine muttered, feeling the world spin around her. "What happened?"

"What happened?" Trist repeated in what sounded like disbelief. "You've just been struck by bloody lightning! Lightning that just roasted that poor bloke from the inside out! To quote this very wise lass beside me, are you alright!?"

"Forget about the lightning," Perrine told him, and the rest. "I just spent all my magic, literally all of it. I need... I just need to rest."

"No time rest," came Aurora's voice. "We need to move, _now_!"

"Where!?" Eila asked in distraught. "This is it, we're done for!"

Now Perrine could hear Yoshika's crying turn into scared wails accompanied by Lynette's soft whimpering. They were doing precisely nothing for the company's morale.

Then, Sanya's voice came, "E-Everyone, get to the forest line. Don't give up!"

"Yeah, better to die in the trees," Aurora sighed.

"Got a plan?" Trist asked Sanya.

"Yes!" Sanya exclaimed, "J-Just wait, you'll see!"

"Eh, why not!?" Aurora gave a crazy laugh, and quickly picked up Perrine. "Come on you, let's see if Sanya's on to something. If not, always nice to die in the shade, right?"

"It's overcast!" Trist told her as they hurried along under Sanya's instruction. "Bloody lightning just struck-"

"Shut up!" Eila shouted over him. "Shut up both of you! If we're going to die, I'm not going to listen to this. And for Ilmatar's sake, would the both of you _move_!"

She was referring to Lynette and Yoshika. The former grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her along, lagging behind the rest. They quickly made it to the tree line, and thankfully the approaching reinforcements stalled as the men regrouping with them shouted things. While the witches couldn't hear what was being relayed, Perrine assumed it was warning about her magic. She wondered how long it was going to stall them.

"Look!" Eila shouted, then gave a wild laugh. "That way, to the south!"

Perrine saw Eila quite excited about something, and Sanya smiling contently. The rest of the group peered south, and were graced with a magnificent sight. A large group of warriors on horseback were thundering down the flood plains, just now coming around a bend into full view. They bore the red and black cross standards of Karlsland, and at the lead were two women. The enemy Gallians faltered, any thoughts of a final push to finish of the witches now replaced with the idea of retreat.

The Karlslandian horses moved fast, and the ones the two women rode were the fastest. They were closing the distance rapidly, and soon the company could hear the brown-haired girl leading them shout, "_Lassen Sie sie nicht fliehen! Der Gallreicher muss sterben!_"

"I don't know what she's saying," Eila was smiling, with her arm over Sanya's shoulders, "but I know it can only be good. If I didn't know any better, I'd say we found our witches."

"Good timing and a good first impression," Perrine commented, allowing herself to relax as well. "Though, it remains to be seen how they'll greet us."

"We're a-all witches, aren't we?" Lynette stammered, still shaken up. She and Yoshika were close together, arms over one another for comfort and behind them Aurora had a hand on each of their shoulders. "We're on the same side, they'll g-greet us well, won't they?"

"That's what I hope," Perrine replied. "I just don't like to make strong assumptions. Oftentimes they're wrong."

"Tsk, pessimist," Aurora muttered.

"Actually," Trist spoke up, raising a hand, "she's saying to kill all the Gallians, I think. My Karlslandian is rusty. My mates and I went pub-hoping across Karlsland once, so I picked up a bit of the language."

"Fascinating," Perrine rolled her eyes. "On the off chance they're killing every last Gallian out of principle and barbarity, at least the two of us can pass for Britannians."

"You're right," it was Eila who agreed. "Both of you sound like you're from Britannia, especially him."

"Grew up there," Trist told them. "Spent a lot of time there too when I was doing knightly things."

"What constitutes as 'knightly things'?" Aurora asked.

"Mostly wooing pretty girls," he answered with a playful smirk. "'Course that was before I settled down and-"

"Tell us about this later," Perrine cut him off. "Or never, I don't care. But this isn't the time for chit-chat."

The Karlsland riders rode across the ford, driving the fleeing enemy into the forest on the other side where they were scattered and finished off. The witches' position only gave a fleeting glimpse of the battle before them, but it was quickly decided that the two leading this force were indeed the witches they were after. They were incredibly skilled riders, their movements always synced and harmonized together showing that they had ridden together for a long time. The dark-haired one fought with a long, unwieldy looking Fuso glaive that shone brightly. The other girl, a small thing with short blonde hair, used a shining longsword to astounding effect.

Several other warriors on horseback kept a short distance away from the group, watching them and chattering back in forth in their language. They looked cautious, but not hostile. One of riders, a young woman, rode up to them and more or less yelled out, "_Gibt es hier jemanden, der Karlslansch spricht!?_"

Aurora wondered aloud, "Why do people from Karlsland always sound so mad?"

"Shut up, Aurora!" Eila shot back at her. "Anyone know what she said?"

"Ah," Perrine thought hard for a moment, "I heard 'Karlsland-something' in there. I think she's asking us if we're from here, or speak their language. In that case, uh... _Nein!_"

"No, no, no," Aurora shook her head, stepping forward, "You gotta do it with more heart, sound more angry to fit in or else she won't understand! Like this, _nein! Nein! Nein!_"

Both Eila and Perrine hung their heads in embarrassment as the Karlsland girl gazed upon them in confusion. She looked over her shoulder to her companions and calmly said, "_Ich verstehe das nicht_."

They shrugged in confusion and stared at the witches.

Perrine spun on her heels and shouted at Aurora, "Great, now they think we're crazy!"

"At least they understand," Aurora huffed, crossing her arms indignantly. She looked across the river again, where warriors in red and black were pursuing and riding down the Gallians in their dark garb. There wasn't much to do but wait anxiously and see what would happen next. The Karlslandians were having absolutely no trouble hacking their foes to pieces, and within a half-hour they were riding back across the ford with two bloodied-up witches leading them. In the meantime, Yoshika had tended to the wounds of her friends. As she healed them, the riders watching them muttered in suspicion, the word, '_Hexen_' coming up more than once.

The leader of their group, the warrior with brown hair approached the group with her comrade. She spoke a few words to the warriors in their language, and then dismounted. Her polished armor and face were splattered red, and she still held her long glaive. Two swords were on her back, crossed, and looked more symbolic than practical. Beside her was the other girl, who wore a lighter suit of mail, and the only blood on her was on her sword.

"So we finally meet," the brown-haired girl said to the witches, smiling slightly and sizing them up. "I assume one of you is Perrine Clostermann?"

"That would be I," Perrine stepped forward, bowing properly. "To whom do I owe this pleasure?"

"Gertrud Barkhorn," she introduced herself, "and this is my companion: Erica Hartmann. Welcome to our little slice of Karlsland. I believe some thanks are in order for our timely rescue."

"Ah, yes," Perrine was surprised by how forward she was. "You have my deepest thanks for your swift action."

"Mine as well!" Lynette quickly added, clearly intimidated.

"Thanks," Eila kept it simple.

"Yeah, thanks," came Aurora.

"Mhm," Trist nodded.

Sanya yawned.

Yoshika suddenly exclaimed, "M-Miss Barkhorn, you're injured!"

"What?" Barkhorn looked surprised, "No I'm not. What are you talking about?"

"Yes you are!" Yoshika insisted, and quickly stepped forward to Gertrud. "Under your arm, here!"

She pointed to where the armor she wore was weak and exposed. The mail was frayed, and colored red from her blood. Barkhorn raised her arm and suddenly winced, gazing at the injury just below her armpit, "God, I didn't even notice this. Some Gallian bastard must have gotten his spear through when I wasn't focused."

"You got stabbed with a spear and didn't even notice?" Aurora asked in disbelief.

The blonde girl, Erica Hartmann, finally made a noise. She chuckled and said, "Trudie is always like this. She gets so into fighting that she doesn't even notice when she's hurt. This looks deep though, you'd better have this dressed fast."

Barkhorn rolled her arm and shook her head, "It's a scratch, no need. Don't call me 'Trudie' in front of strangers either."

"A scratch can still get infected though," Erica pointed out. "You just splashed through dirty river water. But we don't need to remain strangers, do we? That's Perrine, who are the rest?"

"Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen," the younger Suom introduced herself first. "A wizard of the Northern Order at your service. This is Sanya Litvyak, my very dear friend."

"A pleasure to meet you," Sanya yawned again.

"A wizard?" Barkhorn peered at her closely, "Really?"

Eila nodded aloofly, "Uh-huh. I got some pretty amazing magic and all that, but it's nothing special." She raised one hand, and white fire danced between her fingers in impressive patterns.

"Oh get off it," Perrine rolled her eyes at Eila. "Her magic comes in handy when it's good for her. She's a good companion and friend, but don't listen to her or be impressed by her parlor tricks."

"Someone's jealous," Eila smirked.

Aurora spoke up, "I'm her sister by the way. I used to be a witch, and fought as a mercenary years back."

"Mhm," Barkhorn didn't seem to care about that. "And you two?"

"I'm Yoshika Miyafuji," The Fuson girl introduced herself, "If you take off your armor, I can help with that wound."

"No need, I have surgeons and physicians for this sort of thing."

"No, you don't understand Miss Barkhorn," Yoshika smiled a little. "I'm, ah, a little better at this sort of thing than a physician or surgeon. Trust me!"

"When we ride back to camp, it's only a few kilos down the river," Barkhorn answered, not looking particularly enthused.

Lynette introduced herself last, "I'm Lynette Bishop, a pleasure to meet you Miss Hartmann and Miss Barkhorn."

"Miss Hartmann," The blonde Karlslandian girl chuckled. "It makes us sound really formal, doesn't it, Trudie?"

"Stop calling me that," Barkhorn quickly whispered back at her. She then cleared her throat, "Alright then, let's talk more back at camp. I want to know who you all are, where you're going, and why Neuroin is so personally interested in seeing you dead and... Wait, who's he?" Barkhorn raised her weapon, and pointed it at Trist, "Those are Gallian colors."

"A-" Perrine tried to answer, but was cut off.

"Bloody hell, can't a man wear black without being some Gallian rogue?" Trist was bluffing hard, and it seemed to be working. Barkhorn was already lowering her spear as he continued, "Second off, these are _not _Gallian colors, they are Neuroin's colors and if I were with Neuroin I wouldn't be strolling about with witches, now would I? We've been together well long enough for me to slit all their throats in their sleep if I wanted. Since I have not done so, I clearly do not fancy them dead."

"Okay, okay, I get it, just stop talking already," Barkhorn turned around and began stepping towards her horse. "Come, we'll make for my camp then."

"We need to gather our horses first," Perrine told her. "You can go on ahead, I doubt we're so dense we'd miss your encampment."

"Can we take her?" Hartmann pointed at Yoshika, "For Trudie's wound."

"What did I say about that?" Barkhorn snapped at her, already slowly riding away.

Hartmann stuck her tongue out at her friend, then addressed Miyafuji again, "Please? She's gotten sick from injuries she didn't clean before because she said they were too small to worry about. Even a scratch can kill, you know, especially by the river."

Miyafuji nodded and stepped forward, "Yes, I know about that kind of thing. I used to study medicine with my family in Fuso; they run a clinic. I'm not going to just clean the wound and bandage it. My magic can fix almost any injury, short of, uh... b-burns..."

Aurora stood behind Yoshika and put her hands on her shoulders, "Our new friend Barkhorn isn't burned, is she? Hartmann, is it? Yoshika will ride back with you?"

"That was my plan."

"Alright then," Perrine spoke up. "We'll meet you two when we've found our good-for-nothing horses in this forest. Good luck and take care of her, Yoshika, we wouldn't want to come all this way for nothing."

"I will, thanks," Yoshika smiled and nodded, walking with Hartmann to her horse. "I don't think she's in any danger, but it's always good to take care of these things so they don't become a problem."

Hartmann and Yoshika rode off to catch up with Barkhorn and the rest of the Karlslandian riders. The rest of the witches went to scouring the forest for their cowardly mounts. They were in high spirits despite the brutal battle that had nearly been the end of all of them. Their rescue left them with a lot to be happy about. Not only were they safe, but they had finally found the witches they had been searching nearly two months for.

**To Be Continued**

_**Author's Note/Commentary**__- The second fight where they're pushed into the trees was written around the song _Dai Kessen _off the _Strike Witches_ OST. I think it fits the tone of the battle perfectly before it goes south. Listen to it if you need the taste of heavy metal washed from your mouth._ _I actually like the _Strike Witches _OST quite a bit. I listened to it a whole bunch while writing this back when I had my old computer. _


	12. The Priestess

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Twelve**

**The Priestess**

"_Run for the hills pick up your feet and lets go  
We did our jobs pick up speed now let's move  
The trees can't grow without the sun in their eyes  
And we can't live if we're too afraid to die_

_Hold on tight yes hold on tight you're too slow_

_Fire at the breeze that blows these thoughts through our mind_  
_Hire only thieves to steal the thoughts from our heads._"

-_Young Dead Men_ by _The Black Angels_

**34**

Not far from the border of Gallia and Karlsland stood a structure of crumbling stones reinforced by nameless black material that Neuroin had taught his most prestigious and favored officers to shape and work with. Using this knowledge, General Jaeger Kunze had reclaimed this fallen Gallian fortress and remade it into a respectable outpost near the border of Karlsland. Several others had been built across Europe in secret, which he and the others gifted by Neuroin used to travel in the blink of an eye between.

This one he called _Dunkelheit_, a fitting name for the dreary, dark holding. Surrounded by rocky hills and crumbling, abandoned villages, and empty fields that were once vineyards, Dunkelheit seemed perpetually cloaked in shadow. Kunze found it a perfect place to operate from. In that twilight, he gazed fondly at the Neuroi awaiting for his command. They patrolled the air above, twenty-five _Librarians _(or 'sharp-shooters' as the enemy affectionately referred to them as; completely oblivious to their true purposes); two-hundred _Hunters_ (the enemy called these ones 'skirmishers' like they truly served any combat purpose beyond keeping witches stuck in once place while the real threat arrived); and outside Dunkelheit four _Siege Beasts_ patrolled the hills for good measure. Siege Beasts were the only Neuroi whose proper names were known by the enemy. For the upcoming operation, Kunze was going to bring a single one with him.

They were exhausting to replace, and witches had a rather irritating habit of concentrating all their efforts on destroying them. If the intelligence was correct, they would be facing eight or more witches, and the idea of losing four Siege Beasts in a battle was simply something that must not happen. The three would remain here, waiting for the second part of the operation. While the Blackguards had failed repeatedly to capture the witches moving down the Rhine, Kunze had spent that time slowly and properly planning. He knew not to underestimate the enemy. Now, the last thing he needed was finally there.

"They fought us back," Captain Desmond told him as they stood above the ramparts of Dunkelheit. They were armed and armored with heartless Neuroi, which granted some of their boons. The most noteworthy was flight – red wings of energy that could carry them.

"The six of us were hard pressed to complete our mission, but we weren't fools. I remembered your stories of hunting Marseille in Afrika, and was inspired, sir."

"Inspired?" Kunze repeated, arching an eyebrow.

His gray-haired captain nodded, "That's right, sir. Cat and mouse I believe describes how we dealt with Kaiserberg. We didn't expect witches, and in a number greater than ten. I think they expected us, maybe... maybe not _us_ but something. I guess they were thinking the same as you."

"Partly," Kunze corrected him. "Yes, if they put themselves in our shoes they would come to the same conclusion on how to get to Gertrud Barkhorn. I can assure you they were _not_ thinking what I was thinking. They are of lesser minds and cannot comprehend what I have in store. I digress; was your mission was successful?"

"Yes, without casualties either. The enemy wised up and understood what we were after, then tried to escort the target out of Kaiserberg on horseback. That proved to be their undoing, as we could move faster than they."

Jaeger Kunze laughed, and let his armor's wings lower him to the ground inside the walls. "Do show me her, Desmond! I've waited some time for this! Revenge has never been this delicious."

Desmond dropped beside, looking uneasy, "Yes... yes, she's already been escorted to her cell. We think it's best to keep her there for now, sir. Some of the other Blackguards may, ah, _disagree_ with your plans, but were the enemy to stage a rescue, she'd be vulnerable elsewhere."

"Yes, yes, enough with your paranoia, now let me see her!"

Desmond led the general underground to the prison level. The cells were not barred, but instead prisoners were kept behind heavy wooden doors, with the only light inside coming from a small, barred window too high to be reached. It was a dark, dreary place with precisely one prisoner. Anyone captured was either put to the sword under Kunze's orders, or given to the Librarians to be converted over to their side.

If they did their jobs well, the Librarians would share even greater gifts of knowledge with the Blackguards. Eternal life was the big lure for many, and the Librarians had the knowledge to grant it... in a sense.

In a dark cell, sitting on a feather bed that would have provided comfort in a more pleasant environment, sat a frightened and confused girl. She was young, younger than thirteen with light skin and dark hair that did not go past her neck. Hiding in the corner of the cell, she looked up at Jaeger Kunze with terror in her brown eyes. He stepped forward, and smiled at her. It was not a menacing smile, but one that almost looked caring. That made the girl quiver in fear even more.

"Christiane Barkhorn," he spoke in a pleasant voice. "Stop looking so afraid, my dear. No one here will lay a hand on you, and these accommodations are for your own protection... for the time being."

"W-wh-what..." Christiane mumbled. Her voice was choked with tears, and she was fumbling over each word, "W-what are... wha-what are you do-doing with m-m-me?"

It was all she could bumble out before being subdued by tears.

"Simple," Kunze said with a wave of her hand. "You're a small and mostly innocent pawn in a larger game. By moving you across Europe from your home, we've moved you across this board and soon you'll reach the end and be replaced with a much more important piece: your sister."

"T-Trudie?"

He nodded, and chuckled dryly, "Yes... _Trudie_. If she plays her part well, you'll be sent back home with not hair on your head moved. Instead of fearing us, fear how much she may love you, or would be willing to risk for your safety. It would be a shame to learn that she cared nothing for you and you proved useless in all of this."

Kunze turned to leave, smiling as he listened to her sob uncontrollably. He walked out with the captain, Desmond, who didn't seem at all pleased with this. Desmond cleared his throat, and said, "S-Sir, with her here your plans can finally be set in motion, right? When will you set out?"

"Immediately. There is a stark difference in how Neuroin and I go about conducting our operations. His power is unquestionable, but his grasp of strategy is not. He protested my use of the Blackguard Elites, but I believe they'll soon show him their true potential. Come, Desmond. Have you met them?"

"I have seen them in their camps," Desmond replied. "In the hills, as they don't seem to want to interact with the regular Blackguard... or anyone else for that matter."

"Because they are above such things. The perfect warriors, and you can thank the Librarians for their creation."  
"C-Creation?" Desmond's pace faltered.

Kunze nodded, "My friend, you are worrying too much about things that do not concern you. You did your job well, and I am very grateful for it. You will be compensated adequately for your services. Now, why don't I show you the force I will be taking to Karlsland alongside the Neuroi. Their numbers are small, so only five score could be spared. Despite that number, they should be enough."

Desmond followed him back outside, and they easily passed the walls with the flight their armor gave them. Camped in the nearby hills, a hundred armored figures awaited near motionless around fires beneath the red sky of Gallia. Their armor was made of the black material of the Neuroi, glowing faintly, as were their weapons. There was a vacant expression on each of their faces as they waited and rested between the spaces of their perfectly organized tents.

"Elites!" Kunze cried, and almost simultaneously all hundred of them stood and saluted him. Desmond looked both surprised and impressed. "We will be marching out soon. Before we go, I would like to let you all know the captain here has not seen your kind before. He does not know the warriors you are. Enlighten him, would you?"

In unison, a hundred voices chanted out, "We fear not our mortality! We will serve to the best of our ability! We give our lives to our masters! _We vow to smite our enemies_!"

To which Jaeger Kunze responded in a powerful series of shouts, "You've mastered _death_! You've mastered _fear_! You are transformed! You are stronger!"

General Kunze decided they could delay no longer. He knew precisely where the enemy was, but was not sure how long they would be there. A group their size could not move quickly, and he did not know when another opportunity like this would present itself. This conspiracy of witches was about to be crushed, and he would have his sweet, savory reward at his fingertips soon enough.

**35**

"M-Miss Barkhorn, you really shouldn't take something like this so lightly!" Yoshika said as she saw the deep and bloody gash underneath Gertrud's arm. They were alone in her tent, a modest sized dwelling with what Yoshika thought were rather lonely and sparse accommodations. Before coming, she had used Erica Hartmann's help to borrow some things from the surgeon of their camp. When they weren't on the run, Yoshika took her healing very seriously. She knew that if not properly cleaned, it could fester and become infected. Along the way, Aurora had told her plenty of stories of warriors of old falling to disease. Ever since then, Yoshika had doubled her efforts to make sure everyone she helped was taken care of properly.

Barkhorn, now naked from the waist up, smirked as she looked at her bloodied side. "You and Hartmann are taking this _too_ seriously, ah..."

"Miyafuji Yoshika, I mean, Yoshika Miyafuji, or, uh," Yoshika stammered and blushed in embarrassment. "S-Sorry, I don't quite understand how surnames work in Europe. You can call me whatever."

"Miyafuji will do," Barkhorn decided. She raised her arm so Yoshika could see the gash, "Stop turning your head away, I don't care what part of me you look at."

"I was only looking at your wound, I s-swear!" Yoshika quickly turned her head away, wishing Barkhorn could have covered herself with something.

The older girl gave her a teasing smile, "Get off that, I got stabbed right beside the breast so you're going to be looking at my breast. Stop being a prude about it. You're here to heal me, not stare and we both understand that."

Yoshika was both intimidated and amazed at how forward Gertrud Barkhorn was. From what little she had seen, it looked like this woman was not afraid to speak her mind. "Y-Yes, M-Miss Barkhorn!"

"And stop calling me that," she told her, stern but not scolding. Yoshika nodded, and began wetting a towel from a basin to clean the cut. "Nobody but the old ladies from where I grew up call me 'Miss Barkhorn'. It's like your name, either just 'Barkhorn' or 'Gertrud or... uh..." she whispered something Miyafuji didn't catch, then awkwardly stammered out, "If you want, of course!"

"I didn't catch that," Yoshika told her. She pressed the cold, wet towel against Barkhorn's side, cleaning up the blood from around the injury. There was no shortage of the sticky red stuff, and Yoshika couldn't understand how someone could just walk around bleeding like this and think nothing of it. Were all Karlslanders like this? Even Aurora would at least wince.

"I said, you could call me something like..." Barkhorn whispered again, and this time Yoshika was just barely able to make out what sounded like, "_Trudie_."

"Eh, no thanks," Yoshika managed to smile. "I think 'Barkhorn' is just fine. It's easy to say, and sounds strong. Not like my friends' surname, _Juutilainen_."

"Suoms," Barkhorn shook her head, almost condescendingly. "You think my surname sounds strong though? Well, you have sharp eyes because my magic makes me stronger; maybe stronger than anything else in the world. Hmm, you know, you remind me a lot of someone very dear to me. How old are you? Eight, nine years old?"

"N-No, fifteen," Yoshika corrected. "Turning sixteen this summer."

"Really?" Barkhorn tilted her head as Yoshika finished cleaning her cut. "Wow, girls from Fuso really don't look their age."

"N-No, I don't suppose so," Yoshika felt more and more intimidated by Barkhorn as they spoke. Not that she was frightening or threatening, but she seemed like a witch that was very strong and straightforward and that was something Yoshika couldn't relate to. Aurora was strong, but she was also very laid back and easy to get along with. There was something in the way Barkhorn acted that made Yoshika a little uncomfortable, as well as intimidated, but she couldn't put a finger on it.

Yoshika hovered her hands just above Barkhorn's side, and they began to glow a bright blue. Slowly, the wound began to close and mend like fabric being stitched. When she finished, Barkhorn ran a hand down what was once her wounded side, then looked at it as if to inspect it for blood.

"Heh," she smiled widely. "That's rather impressive, Miyafuji. If I had someone like you at my side, we could win this war in less than a month. Just two, me, and my trusty knight-lieutenant. If all our wounds could be healed like this, we could face any enemy and win!"

"H-Hold on there!" Yoshika blurted out, not liking what she was hearing at all. "You could still die, and I don't want to fight any war. I've seen my own friends al-almost meet their ends too many times already. I don't like using my magic. I'm thankful I have it, but I'd rather never have to use it all."

"Lighten up, I wasn't being serious," Barkhorn rolled her eyes, and stood up to stretch. For a moment, Miyafuji's eyes were drawn inexplicably to Barkhorn's chest for a fleeting moment before the sound of someone entering the tent startled her and brought her back to reality. The shapeliness and toned form of Barkhorn's body had caught her attention. It was similar to Aurora's, but not quite as pale and all of Barkhorn's scars showed better. They made her look tough and experienced, while Aurora's scars were little more than ugly... especially her burns.

"The others are back," came the voice of the knight-lieutenant, Erica Hartmann. "I had some of the crew work to get them situated for a bit of stay. That big Suomish girl said they've been on the road for a while, and want a chance to relax."

"That sounds like Aurora," Yoshika said with a smile, immensely glad Hartmann had shown up. Being alone with Barkhorn was getting more uncomfortable by the minute.

"Look," Barkhorn raised her arm, and pointed to her side.

"Yes. That is definitely your boob," Hartmann nodded. "I'm glad you're here to confirm these things for us, Trudie."

"No!" Barkhorn lowered her arm again and shouted, her expression mortified. "I was talking about where I had gotten hurt. Did you noticed the wound was gone, or were you too busy staring!? My eyes are up _here_ you know!"

"Well, did you want me to look at your eyes or your, uh, armpit?"

"Anywhere that's not my chest, you devilish little pervert," Gertrud clarified, then crossed her arms. She was going to say something else, but the sound of Yoshika's laughter stopped her. First it was quiet, but soon built to a crescendo of poorly contained giggles that merrily spilled forth. She was holding her side laughing as Barkhorn stared down at her, confused, and smilingly sheepishly.

"Did... did I do something funny?" she asked.

"The two of you," Yoshika giggled out. "I'm sorry, I know... I know it's rude to laugh like this! The road has just been so boring, and everyone has been so bitter and melancholic. Miss Hartmann's joke was just too much for me. Thanks, thanks both of you, I haven't laughed in a long time."

"Hey, our pleasure, right?" Barkhorn's grin was still sheepish. She patted Yoshika on the head, and finally went to redressing. She wore her tabard, the black and red of Karlsland.

"Trudie tries to run a tough shift around here," Erica Hartmann stepped forward and put a friendly arm around Yoshika's shoulder, "but we like to laugh, sing, dance, and drink like anyone else. You're all welcome to stay for as long as you want. Your friend Lynette made sure you two would be sharing a tent too."

Yoshika chuckled, "I'm glad." She took a deep breath and said, only a little awkwardly, "Thank you both. You got us out of a pinch, and showed us hospitality we haven't truly felt since... not since we left Britannia and that was such a long time ago it feels like."

"Just pay it forward," Hartmann patted her back. "Keep Trudie on your good side too, she's scary when she's mad."

"If you're my enemy, that is," Barkhorn replied with a smile that may have supposed to be encouraging. It intimidated Yoshika, and she didn't feel any better when she added, "You're not my enemy, are you, Miyafuji?"

"N-No!" Yoshika squeaked, feeling very small.

**36**

At first, Perrine had been quite eager to talk to Barkhorn and Hartmann and explain her mission right away. The war camp was an impressive sight; hundreds of red tents built up on a hill from the river near a ford. The ford was a sludgy, disgusting mass of mud with the bodies of their enemies half-sunken, being picked apart by carrion birds. Thankfully, the camp was far enough up the adjacent hill that they neither had to smell nor gaze upon the mess up close unless they trudged down to the banks.

Perrine knew it was to serve as a warning to the enemy about Karlsland's might. Above all else, they were a proud people devoutly nationalistic who loved their land and King Louis IV. Their king had worked greatly to bolster the strength of the Teutonic Knights, and allow witches into their ranks to further defend their land from the Dark Ones.

She wished more than anything that Gallia could have shared that same spirit, strength, and order to drive their enemy out. Now Neuroin was so deeply entrenched that Perrine was sure only his assassination could free her homeland. She tried not to think of war, of the enemy, and all the struggles that had brought. She rested on her cot in the tent, down to just her skirt and a light, cotton shirt. When on the road, she usually slept in clothes, not feeling comfortable enough to dress down with the others around. Having a man traveling with them had only made that worse.

Now she had a chance to relax in safety, and unwind. Near her cot was another, and she hoped she wouldn't have to share this tent with anyone. It was just as she was thinking that, Eila stepped in, carrying her things in a backpack over her shoulder. She dropped it in front of the other cot, and then sat on it and faced Perrine, "Guess we're roommates, Gallian."

"You're not staying with Sanya?" Perrine stat up, brushing hair from her face. "Is this some sort of clever ruse?"

"What are you talking about?" Eila replied, shaking her head. "You should be more grateful, I took the plunge for you. Spare tents like this don't grow on trees you know, so accommodations had to be made. Naturally Lyn and Yoshika are sharing a tent, but if I shared one with Sanya, it'd mean you'd either be stuck with Aurora or Trist; with the odd one out getting his or her own tent. Sanya, as you know, is nocturnally inclined so she doesn't mind sharing with Aurora at all since they would sleep opposite hours anyway. You don't want to share a tent with Aurora, trust me."

Perrine was impassive, eying Eila up and down for a moment before speaking, "You couldn't have just said, 'We're sharing a tent together'? I'm not so nosy that I would have interrogated you further, you know."

"I didn't know," Eila shrugged, leaning back so she was lying down. Barefoot, she wiggled her toes and gave a bored sigh. "I did some tarot before coming here. I'm seeing bad things with Gertrud Barkhorn."

"What do you mean, bad things?"

Eila answered her question with another question, "Remember when I read your fortune back home?"

"Yes," Perrine nodded, "I believe you said something along the lines that things were going to happen and I need to do what I need to do to overcome them. Or somesuch."

"It's not my fault that you're ignoring the finer details," Eila sat back up again, making eye contact as she spoke. "I drew the Priestess and it represented your fears. While, when I was doing single card draw for myself, I drew her again. In this case, I think it was warning that we need to see what's really in front of us, not just what we think is there."

"What does this have to with Gertrud Barkhorn?" Perrine asked, not following this at all. "I don't see how you can believe in anything those cards tell you. They're just pictures, Eila."

"And your rosary is just two bars of gold that form a cross," Eila retorted, her tone not changing. "Just shut up and listen for a moment, and consider the fact that I could be right here."

"Right about what? You're still not making an ounce of sense!" Perrine didn't appreciate that shot at her rosary. It wasn't just an insult over her faith, but it had more to do with the fact the rosary had been her mother's. To her, it was much more than two golden bars that formed a cross. It was something that her mother had carried as well, same as the rapier, but she didn't protest.

"The card is telling me we have more to worry about with her than anything else," Eila explained. "I don't know about you, but a million little red flags have gone off in my head already. Her arrogance, demanding of appreciation, and her little stunt with her cut there. You know..." Eila changed her voice to mock the knight, "_Oh this? Haha, I didn't even feel it. Look how strong and brave I am, everyone!_"

"You're spitting venom at someone who saved us and showed hospitality," Perrine pointed out but she had to admit that Eila _did_ have a point.

"I didn't ever ask to be here. I'm just pointing things out so we're not all surprised if something goes wrong with our new host. I came to you about this not just because you're our de-facto leader, but because behind me you're the most perceptive and smartest about your surroundings. Remember the Priestess, Perrine, don't make a decision until your fears are sorted out."

"I'll keep that in mind, Eila," Perrine nodded. "I... admit that my first impressions of this knight, this _Priestess_ as you would call her, were not very great. If she can back up her attitude with might, I can see why Sakamoto would want her as part of this project."

"We can only judge so much without a real chance to talk with her. Miyafuji's the only one who's spent any real time with her, and she's been uncomfortable and on edge since."

"I'll speak with her as soon as I can, but one of her knights said she's waiting until tomorrow for a proper audience with us," Perrine told her. "Something about having to write a proper report to send back to the king about her skirmish today at the river. It sounds more like an excuse to delay speaking with us."

Eila shrugged, "Could be either. We'll just have to wait and see."

**37**

The witches did their best to make themselves at home, but were continually delayed an audience with Gertrud Barkhorn. Two nights had passed without much more than a couple words with her as she routinely proclaimed she was too busy to be bothered by strangers. Perrine hadn't noticed it at first, but Eila was quick to point out that Barkhorn always seemed to make it a point that they were strangers. The blonde girl, Erica Hartmann, seemed much more open and friendly.

She was incredibly easy to get along with, and easier to forget she was even a knight. She seemed more like someone's kid who just ran about doing as she pleased. She and Sanya seemed to get along the most. They had spent hours one evening talking by themselves, and when Eila had asked Sanya just what they had been talking about for so long, Sanya couldn't seem to recall. Perrine ended up in the same situation the following morning. While eating breakfast, Hartmann had started a conversation with her about fencing, and soon they had chatted the morning away about anything and everything.

It seemed aside from her magic, Erica Hartmann was a very well versed, traditionally trained sword fighter. Aside from fighting on horseback, she was able to discuss the finer points of dueling one-on-one with Perrine. Perrine was amazed, being that she had never met anyone else who seemed to know anything about proper fencing. It also confused her, because Erica Hartmann did not behave like the sort that would know anything about proper sword fighting. The sword she fought with was a brilliant weapon, a shining blade embroidered with a cross on the pommel. She called it _Dawnbringer_.

The day passed lazily along, the witches (minus Eila and Sanya, who had mostly stuck to the shadows during those days) sat around a dull fire on benches made from split logs. The knights about the camp paid them little mind as they went about their duties and routines, and Perrine was glad for the lack of attention. She sat on one bench beside Lynette and Yoshika, polishing her rapier as she listened to the others speak around her.

Hardly able to speak through laughter, Hartmann continued telling a story to Aurora and Trist, who were in stitches as well. As she spoke, they passed around a bottle of wine, each with a glass of their own.

"So... then Trude's m-mother walks in and..." Hartmann was forced to stop again as the three of them laughed themselves silly, "... and I was st-still pinching her!"

Aurora fell off the bench, spilling wine on herself, laughing so hard she couldn't breathe for a moment. "W-What happened next? I can't believe you goosed T-Teutonic Knight!"

"Well, I am one too," Hartmann chuckled. "Sort of, I guess. I mean, I wear the uniform and take orders, but I don't really want to invade Orussia."

"What about invading Orussia?" Perrine blinked in surprise.

"Oh don't worry about that, Miss Perrine," Hartmann said with a wave of her hand, then called for a nearby squire, "Hey, more wood on the fire please! It's getting dark!"

The young lady squire went to go gather wood, and Trist muttered, "In Gallia, we never got pretty squires to do things for us. It was always, 'Do it your bloody self!', except, you know, in Gallian."

"Well then you should have done it 'your bloody self'," came the voice of Gertrud Barkhorn as she entered their little circle.

"She lives!" Hartmann exclaimed, "I was wondering when you'd come up for air."

"We number around five hundred," Barkhorn replied, speaking more to everyone else than Hartmann. "Two-hundred knights, trained in _Ordensburg Marienburg_; sixteen wtiches as part of that number; and three hundred servants, squires, and general tag-ons we can't seem to shake. I have to organize the payroll of four and a half hundred people, find out who's actually supposed to be here and not just hanging on like parasites, and all in all make sure this army functions without us killing one another. When I said I've been busy, I meant it."

She took a seat beside Perrine and glared over at Trist. To Perrine, that glare had a glint of disgust in it. "You're a Gallian knight, huh?" she asked.

He nodded, reaching over to take the wine bottle from Aurora and refill his glass. He raised up and smiled at the Karlslandian knight, "Aye, that's right. Cheers, from knight to knight here." Trist finished his glass in nearly one gulp, and held the bottle out, "We've got a good fire here, good wine, and good company. What else could a knight want?"

"I can think of a few things," Barkhorn raised a hand to dismiss his offer of wine. She looked beside her at Perrine and said, "Truth be told, I'd sooner expect her to be a knight before you... Sir... what was it again?"

"Trist," he poured himself another glass and passed it to Aurora, who passed it to Hartmann.

"Is that your first or last..."

"Neither," Trist answered with his same friendly smile. "Now don't get me wrong, lass, this isn't out of any need for secrecy or subterfuge. I just like 'Trist' more."

"I don't understand at all," Barkhorn said.

"I do," Aurora spoke up. "Sanya's real name ain't Sanya. She just likes it more than 'Alexsandra'. She says there's too many Alex's around. Sanyar's a prettier name anyhows."

"God," Barkhorn sneered at Aurora. "How drunk are you, Suom?"

"Too think to drunk, if that's what you're askin'," she answered, somehow managing to sit properly again. Hartmann and Trist got a good laugh out of that.

"_Ahem_," Perrine cleared her throat and caught everyone's attention. She sensed this interaction was going nowhere good. Gertrud Barkhorn and Erica Hartmann were right there finally, it was time to do what she came there to do. "Let me begin here by saying that we're all very thankful and appreciative of you two knights letting us stay here. It's been a long journey and the hospitality is most welcome."

"Nonsense!" Barkhorn patted Perrine's back, nearly knocking out of her seat. "It's been no trouble to us at all. Miyafuji there has put herself to good use helping with the cooking and cleaning."

"Well, Lyn helped me too," Yoshika grinned sheepishly.

Lynette nodded, "We couldn't just sit around doing nothing here, so we're doing our best to help out even if we don't speak Karlslandian."

"It's the thought that counts," the older knight insisted, taking a moment to glare at the three sitting across from them. "Anything is better than just sitting around drinking wine all day."

"That's a stretch," Trist chuckled.

"I haven't found anything better," Aurora added, chuckling as well. "Except maybe drinking in a sauna..."

Beside her, Hartmann gave an apathetic shrug, "I've had two glasses this whole day."

"_Ahem_," Perrine cleared her throat again, trying to get the subject permanently off of alcohol. "As I was trying to say, we are very thankful for your hospitality and I'm sure you're wondering why we've journeyed and battled hard to find you."

"I admit, the thought crossed my mind," Barkhorn answered.

Hartmann's reply with a bit more enthusiastic, "Well yeah, pretty much every soldier deemed 'expendable' by Neuroin got sent out here to hunt you all down. We've fought maybe... three thousand all together here, and there's been way more when you add in all the ones our allies have fought further inland. So what's the story? We know you came south from Denmark - a hell of a trek - and that you're the pupil of Mio Sakamoto, a friend of a friend."

Barkhorn nodded, "A friend of a witch we've known for some time. Magic manifests in many different ways in us witches, but the way we bring it to our fronts is the same. She guided both of us back when we were squires to use our magic to our full potential. I've met Mio Sakamoto as well, and she left me with a gift from her homeland."

"Your golden naginata," Perrine nodded. "Yes, it's just come to memory again. She left for Karlsland several years ago and took with her gifts for those she was to visit. I didn't think it was the same weapon."

"It is, and I've named it _Gungnir_. Fitting that a wise one-eyed person had given it to me, don't you think? She had told me to use it well and use it strong, for it was unlikely that anyone else could use it to greater effect."

"Oh," Aurora said from across them. "Hah, I get it. Oden's spear, _Gungnir_. Oden's wise too, and only has one eye. Get it?"

"Yes, we get it," Perrine replied with an annoyed sigh. However, she did find it at least a little interesting that she was gifted with magic that called forth thunder and lightning.

"It's good that you're familiar with Sakamoto's wisdom then," Perrine said. "Because it's under her guidance that I've brought these people here."

"Oh?" Barkhorn raised an eyebrow, and Hartmann leaned in to listen.

"Yes," Perrine continued. "A few months short of a year ago, she left for Gallia without a word, saying that she had a very secretive mission. She never told us in Britannia where she had gone, and it was only through Eila and Trist here that I even learned where she was."

"That's right," Trist confirmed. "I'm mostly bad at keeping secrets."

"Six months after she had left, I received a letter from her. It told me she believed she had found a way to liberate my homeland, Gallia. As you two may know, there's about only one way to accomplish such a monumental feat..."

"Destroy Neuroin," Barkhorn finished.

"Yes, Sakamoto knows this is no easy feat, for he hides in shadows and behind walls now, rarely venturing out. She has a plan, though; not one that she's told anyone so far, but she's given me a list of witches that are needed to make this a reality. Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, the wizard; Yoshika Miyafuji, the healer; Lynette Bishop, the archer; and now Gertrud Barkhorn and Erica Hartmann, the knights. There are still two more to go in Romagna once you leave with us."

"Once we leave with you?" Barkhorn stood up, and looked at the group that had journeyed to find her. "I don't think you understand the importance of us holding this part of the Rhine. We're only two-hundred, but Neuroin's hasn't sent out anything we can't handle. We're a crucial force in keeping him, his Dark Ones, and those wretched Blackguards out of Karlsland."

"Hey, I'm technically part of those 'wretched' Blackguards," Trist spoke up, though not looking at all offended. "Have some pity on us lass. We get sent to die to self-proclaimed crucial forces such as yourself. Many of us would just like to relax, have a drink and-"

"No, shut up," Barkhorn cut him off. "I'm talking now, and my role is not 'self-proclaimed' as you call it."

"It's true," Hartmann said. "Dereliction of duty is just not something we can do."

"It's not dereliction of duty if you're cutting off this snake's head!" Perrine stood up to face Barkhorn. She kept her composure, having expected some sort of argument, but was still weary and frustrated at all of this. "I understand you want to guard your homeland. I understand that better than anyone, and I know your role is important. Find someone else to take that role though. You are two witches. These knights can find a replacement. We can't. Stopping this menace at the core is more important than holding a part of a river."

"Even if it is, we can't leave unless someone could adequately replace us," Barkhorn replied, standing face to face with Perrine. "I'd love to end this war, but I'm not in the position to make these sort of decisions. The best I can do is send a letter back to my superiors and see what they make of this situation. We'll see if they can send adequate replacements for us, and even reinforcements to make up the loss of might with us being gone. Will this course suit you all?"

Perrine thought on it for a moment. She was silently astounded that a bureaucratic military system could potentially hold them up more than the Dark Ones or the Blackguards. After a moment of tense silence, she replied, "If there's no other way, then I suppose this may be our only option. Although the course is not rigid and unwavering. I'm sure rules can be bent or stretched."

"Yes," Hartmann answered.

"No," Barkhorn replied simultaneously.

"Well," Aurora stood up as well. "How long do you think it's gonna take? Because, you know what? I didn't get maimed, lose fingers and a friend, or get burnt to a damned crisp just be turned away from some stuck-up knight too arrogant to leave her spot because she's afraid she won't be the best if she's somewhere else!"

"Haha," Trist said in a monotone and tugged at Aurora's shirt tail from behind her. "Methinks mayhaps it's time for the drunken Suom to stop talking perchance?"

"I'm inclined to agree," Perrine said through her teeth.

"Aurora, please stop!" Yoshika, who had been practically invisible throughout the whole conversation, cried.

Barkhorn and Aurora marched a few steps to face each other face to face. Aurora looked ready to start a fight, while Barkhorn looked down on her with a condescending smirk. "Is that it?" She asked. "Am I some arrogant Karlslandian bitch too afraid to march from her perch? Well, if that's the case then let me say this process will take about... oh, I don't know, three to six months?"

"We don't have that kind of time!" Perrine shouted. "There's been a conscious effort on Neuroin's part to see us dead! We can't give him six months to rally up a proper defense, or look into exactly what we're doing so he can stop it!"

"Not my problem," Barkhorn replied with a shrug, turning to face Perrine.

Aurora put a hand on Barkhorn's shoulder and turned her back around to face her. "No, it _is_ your problem. If you got a problem with that we'll go right now."

"Let's go then," Barkhorn gave a short laugh. "I'm sorry, are you trying to _threaten_ me into submission? Because quite frankly threats from _bacon_ don't shake me."

A collective series of gasps followed Barkhorn's insult. She had gone too far, and even Hartmann knew it. She had found the one thing Aurora was most sensitive about, her burns, and mocked them. There was no turning this situation around now.

"You _bitch_," Aurora spat, and threw a heavy punch. Her fist collided with Barkhorn's face, sending staggering back into Perrine, who awkwardly caught her. She bled from the nose, but was continuing to smile mockingly.

"Come on, that's all you got!?" She laughed, and pushed Perrine away.

Perrine tripped over the bench and fell on her back, shouting, "If more fists get thrown, I'm going to start getting zappy!"

"Stop it, please!" Yoshika was begging. "This isn't helping anything! Miss Barkhorn, come here so I can fix your bleeding!"

"Trudie, that's enough!" Hartmann shouted as well.

"Lass, I think you'd best stand down," Trist tried to encourage Aurora.

Neither of them listened, Aurora stepped forward and swung again. This time Barkhorn caught her fist with one hand, and squeezed. There was a sickening crunching sound as the bones in Aurora's hand broke from Barkhorn's unnatural magical strength. The Suom gave a cry of pain as her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, awkwardly being held up by the hand that Barkhorn was still grabbing. She let it go, and Aurora fell on her side, clutching her broken hand fighting back tears of pain.

The knight put a boot down Aurora's chest and looked down at her, "If I'm some arrogant knight too afraid to leave, know what you are? Some washed up has-been witch desperately trying to stay relevant. Why are you so badly maimed and burnt when none of your companions are, I wonder?"

"That's enough," Eila's calm, collected voice came. Suddenly, some force threw Barkhorn off of Aurora, nearly sending her into the bonfire. She stopped though, suspending in a falling position over the flames. With a gentle wave of Eila's hand, she was lifted up, moved away from the fire, then dropped on the ground with a heavy thud.

Yoshika rushed to Aurora's aid, instantly going to tend to her hand.

"Is she alright?" Perrine asked Yoshika. Her eyes were on Barkhorn, who for some reason, wasn't moving at all. There was a look of sheer rage on her face.

Hartmann went to her side and did not look at all amused. She asked Eila, "What did you do to her?"

"Just froze her for the time being," Eila answered, also going to check on her sister. "If she didn't just break my sister's hand into a million pieces, I'd make a comment on the humor in that this spell only seems to work on hot-headed, short tempered people."

"Yeah, it's hilarious," Perrine rolled her eyes. "Is Aurora alright?"

"I need to see your hand," Yoshika gently told Aurora, trying to guide her other hand covering it away. "I can't help you if you don't show me your hand."

"It fucking hurts!" Aurora cried, holding her broken hand close to her body. "Someone step on that knight's neck for me, please!"

"As much as she might deserve it, I'm not letting that happen," Hartmann replied.

Something else happened though. Chaos and confusion suddenly broke out as screams from knights throughout the camp screamed, "_Ambush!_" Suddenly some two-hundred people were scrambling for weapons and armor as the other three hundred tried to take cover or go for relative safety. Above, the shadowy figures of sharp-shooters could be seen against the black, cloudy sky.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Perrine swore, picking up the rapier she had dropped when Barkhorn had shoved her. "Eila, unfreeze her then help me and Lynette deal with this. Hartmann, try to organize your knights and keep them away from the sharp-shooters! Damn it, where's Sanya!?"

"Back in her tent," Eila answered and undid the spell on Barkhorn with a swish of her fingers. "Sorry about that, Captain. Can't have you breaking my sister, you know."

"Yeah, yeah," Barkhorn grumbled. "We can continue these 'negotiations' later then. Come on Hartmann, let's drive these monsters out of Karlsland!"

The two mobilized and Eila looked over at Perrine, "Want me to go get Sanya?"

"No," Perrine shook her head, "She'll join us on her own, I'm sure. We need to act fast, come on!"

At the edge of the camp, tents were set ablaze by the elite Blackguards charging up the hill.

**To Be Continued**

_**Author's Note/Commentary**__- The song _The Gears_ by _Dethklok_ is the theme song for the Elite Blackguards._ _I need to point out that lyrics from it were used in the dialogue and I can't take credit for them. I have -some- integrity as a writer. Anyway, go listen to that song and don't nod like you're agreeing with me. You're gonna bang your head because you're gonna wake the dead. _


	13. The Neuroi

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**The Neuroi**

"_I'm a wolf in human shape - Every man is prey  
A predator with flaming rage - Blood is in my trace._"

-Where Silent Gods Stand Guard_ by _Amon Amarth

**38**

"How many are there!?" Perrine shouted to her two companions as Lynette felled three sharp-shooters in less than ten seconds. Her unwavering accuracy was no longer hindered by frozen nerves, and she was becoming quite the warrior. She was becoming adept at leading shots, and firing two arrows to distract the enemy with one and finish them off with another aimed slightly differently.

Around them, panic ensued in the chaos of this ambush. People were scrambling for arms and armor, and already Perrine could see injuries from the explosions of shrapnel from the enemy. She knew by the end of the night that Yoshika was going to have her work cut out for her. The urge was there to help all those around her, but she needed to keep focused and deal with the greater threat of the Dark Ones.

"Sanya could tell us," Eila answered. "We really should try and-"

She raised up a hand to bring forth her magical shield, which stopped a black bolt from shredding her to pieces. The shards deflected harmlessly to the ground around her, and immediately Lynette was returning fire in that direction.

"Hey! That could have killed me!" Eila yelled. "Anyway, as I was saying she should try and find her. Like, right away."

"Who else can fight these things though?" Lynette asked, eyes scanning the sky for another target. Now skirmishers were landing, and she conjured an arrow to deal with them.

"No," Perrine raised her hand. "Save your arrows for the big stuff. We don't need you running out like you did last time. We all need to conserve our magic."

"That won't happen again," Lynette shook her head at the thought, raising _Gloryhammer_ and scanning the sky for enemies.

The knights could face the skirmishers, although not easily. While their attacks could be dodged and evaded when faced in small numbers, the knight's regular steel swords had trouble breaking their black armor. Perrine broke away from the group to aid them, striking down a half-dozen of the Dark Ones without breaking a sweat. She had fought them enough now to know exactly how they attacked and just where to hit them.

"_Dankeschön!_" One of the knights exclaimed at Perrine's rescue.

"Yes, yes," Perrine nodded and bowed, not understanding at all.

"We need to find Sanya!" Eila shouted. Lynette was at her back, firing at the sky. Her eyes were sharp, Perrine couldn't even see the sharp-shooters she was taking out.

Not far away, fires broke out as tents were set ablaze. As far as Perrine knew, the Dark Ones didn't burn things. Men were here. Blackguards.

"We're working on that!" Perrine said and hastily moved back over to them. She watched a female knight with shield and sword battling back the skirmishers, her blade slicing them down with ease. It appeared that one of Barkhorn's witches was now in the fight. That was good.

"Come on!" Eila tugged at Perrine surcoat, leading her along through the chaos.

"What about me!?" Lynette called after them.

"You're a big girl!" Eila answered. "You don't need us to hold your hand! Kick names and take ass or whatever, just _do __something_!"

The two ran along between rows of red tents, passing people rushing to get to the action. Eila seemed to know exactly where she was going. They made a hard turn right to another lane, and Eila stopped, raising her hand to bring forth another shield that saved both their lives from a black bolt from a sharp-shooter. Hardly even a second had passed after it had exploded that Eila was pulling Perrine along again.

"How did you know that bolt was even coming?" Perrine asked as she ran along with Eila. "You weren't even looking in that direction and were ready for it before it even came."

"You really don't pay attention, do you?"

They came to where their tents were. Eila let go of Perrine and burst into the one Aurora and Sanya were staying in. She looked about frantically before rushing out and said: "Damn it! She's not here, Perrine! Come on, we have to find her!"

"How do you propose doing that? Just wander around until we happen across her?"

"Do you have a better idea!?"

Perrine shook her head, "I suppose not. Let's keep moving then, and drive off the enemy as we find them."

"Yeah, let's," Eila nodded.

Turning a corner towards them, some ten meters away, were a group of differently armed Dark Ones. Perrine realized then they weren't Dark Ones at all, but Blackguards outfitted in armor and given weapons made of whatever Dark Ones were. They boasted round shields and swords and spears.

"This is new," Perrine commented, raising up her free hand. "Don't worry, I'm not going to set anything on fire this time."

Before she could bring forth her _Tonnerre_, two forms sprinted out from the other side of the lane the Blackguards had been moving down. Gertrud Barkhorn with a sword in each hand, clashing into their front line like a storm wave against a rowboat. Her blades shattered shields and sent them staggering and falling back. Erica Hartmann was right behind her, a single sword in hand. It was glowing more brightly than ever with its golden light.

"_Sturm_!" Hartmann called, raising up her free hand towards the sky. The Blackguards flew off their feet into the air and fell down in an unceremonious clatter. As they tried to get their feet, Barkhorn stomped across their fallen ranks, swiftly felling them with her swords. Hartmann was soon beside her until the dozen or so of them were slain.

Perrine admired their brutal efficiency, but did not appreciate how they were killing men who weren't even on their feet. That did not seem like a knightly thing to do, and Perrine knew that she could never perform any sort of coup de grace herself. The code of ethics Sakamoto had raised her on simply left her with a bitter taste in her mouth at the mere thought.

"_Waidmanns heil_," Barkhorn said to Eila and Perrine.

"_Hyvää iltaa_," Eila replied, "Have you two seen Sanya!?"

"Who?" Barkhorn cocked an eyebrow.

"_Sanya!_" Eila shouted at her, making the knight flinch back a step. Perrine wondered if Eila was the only person who actually intimidated Barkhorn. Just before the battle she had managed to quite adequately humiliate her with magic.

"We haven't seen her," Hartmann spoke up. "I guess Neuroin's trying to do us in here. Elite Blackguard? I didn't think they left Gallia."

"That's all fascinating but you need to help me find her!" Eila grabbed Hartmann's hands, practically pleading. "She's not like us four, she can't fight like we can!"

Hartmann took her hands back with a bit of a tug and gave a proper bow before Eila, "On my knight's honor, I shall lend myself to your cause, my good lady."

"Get up," Barkhorn muttered at Hartmann. "Yes, I guess abandoning an innocent person _does_ go against my morals..."

The ground suddenly shook, throwing Perrine off her feet onto her rear. Hartmann fell on her knees while Barkhorn remained stoic, and Eila floated a few inches off the ground. Perrine had no time to puzzle that wonderment as the sounds of something exploding rang in her ears. A blast of heat washed over them, bringing with it the smell of brimstone and fire. Shouts of panic, cries of pain, and screams of fear rang out as Perrine tried to get to her feet.

"What..." she huffed, "was that!? Why are things blowing up!?"

"Something really big and bad," Eila replied, her voice tense. She fell back to the ground and looked in the direction the explosion had come from. "I think Aurora told me something about this once... some kind of Dark One she fought before. I hope she's okay right now..."

"Siege beasts," Barkhorn said, helping Hartmann to her feet. "This... complicates things. Sorry, Eila, we can't help you find your friend. This takes priority. If we don't kill this thing, there's going to be problems... and we're not going to be around to see them."

"Yeah, I see that," Perrine muttered.

"Stop being so morbid, Trudie," Hartmann retrieved her fallen sword and saluted Eila. "Best of luck to the both of you. We got work to do."

**39**

The two were fast on their feet, Barkhorn just a little bit faster. It's how it went, with Hartmann keeping in her shadow. They knew the way the other moved, fought, and thought when it came to battle. More of the Blackguards advanced on them, charging forth with heavy swords. The two witches worked in harmony - Barkhorn crossing her swords to stop an overhead cleave, and Hartmann coming in quickly from the side to deliver the killing blow. When the next warrior came, the two struck him simultaneously and kept the momentum up to down the last with their trio of swords.

"You know," Barkhorn said as they began moving again, "you're lazy, don't follow rules, and don't take enough things seriously but I gotta say I couldn't feel any more safe with you at my side."

"Yeah, I thought you'd feel that way," Hartmann shot Trude a teasing smile, even if she couldn't see it. "If you stopped breaking people's hands, you'd almost be sweet."

"She hit me first, remember?"

"I remember, but that was hardly a fight," Erica said. They were nearing the edge of the camp there where the dark form of the river could be seen. In the ford was the large shape of a very distinctive Dark One. The thing resembled a four-legged spider, larger than a house, with a host of skirmishers surrounding it as guards. The body was sleek and oblong, a glowing center that was becoming redder and redder; larger and larger. From it, a burst of bright red energy rocketed towards the hillside, exploding in a great fiery mass that consumed the red tents and anyone near or around them.

"Now _that's_ a fight!" Hartmann gave a humorless laugh. "Chin up Trudie, they think we're important enough to send siege beasts after."

"Yeah, I'm just _thrilled_!" Barkhorn snapped, doubling her efforts to sprint towards this thing. Skirmishers came to stop her, but she didn't even stop for them. She simply pushed past one, then sacked another, stomping over its body as she kept running.

"Wait up!" Hartmann whined. "I can run as fast as you and-" she stopped to fight off swarming skirmishers, before trying to catch up. "For God's sake Trudie watch _out_!"

"No time!" Barkhorn shot back, taking a grazing wound across her side. She gave a quick yelp of pain and retaliated by bringing down both her swords down on the skirmisher.

"See!" Hartmann finally caught up with her. "You really need to watch... oh..."

The siege beast's glowing red center was aimed at them and beginning to enlarge, preparing to fire again.

"Throw me," Barkhorn instructed.

"What? At it!?"

"Yes at it! Do it before we're dead!"

Hartmann acted fast, standing directly behind Gertrud and sheathing her sword. She put a hand on her partner's back and called out the word for her spell, "_Sturm!_" Hartmann put as much power as she could into that spell, knowing Barkhorn was going to need the boost.

A torrent of air burst forth from Barkhorn's feet sending her airborne and flying at the siege beast. Barkhorn didn't have time to think, she slammed into it like a bolt of heavy lightning, the sheer force of her magic and Hartmann's working together to knock it on its back. Its ball of fire shot upwards towards the sky, exploding harmlessly high in the air. A blast of heat winded Barkhorn.

Back on the banks of the river, Hartmann fought back the remaining skirmishers. In battle, her mind was clear, focused, and as sharp as diamond. The knights referred to her as a sword master, a title she was flattered greatly by, but didn't quite agree with. She was a better fighter than Barkhorn in terms of pure skill, rarely suffering injuries in battle. It was Barkhorn's strength made up for her lesser skills tenfold.

Over the river, Barkhorn's left arm, several ribs, and her left thigh were blazing with pain. She had hit the siege beast so hard it shattered her bones. Adrenaline was surging, and she screamed as she fought back the pain. She raised both swords and brought them down on her enemy's body with a ceremonious crash. Shards of black substance flew across the air, exploding into shards of bright. The pain in her arm intensified, and only inspired her strength more. Still screaming she brought down her swords over and over again, beating the siege beast into the river. Finally she hacked away enough of it to reveal the glowing, many faceted, red gem that was its heart. With a final blow she destroyed it, causing the entire creature to fall apart into glowing white shards that quickly disappeared.

With a splash, Barkhorn fell into the river, beside the rotting dead of her enemy. Hartmann disengaged her enemy and rushed over to help her to her feet. In the fight, those black shards had been like razors flying from the siege beast's body. Barkhorn was covered with little cuts that were bleeding in tiny rivulets.

"You're a mess," Hartmann frowned. "Start watching your ass more, Trudie. One of these days you're going to get cut in a place that's not going to stop bleeding."

"Hey, we got Miyafuji and..." Barkhorn stopped as a skirmisher approached. She gave a scream of anger and swung a fist at the thing, hitting it hard enough to break it into a dozen pieces. "...and I'm harder to kill than you think. I dropped _Bladecatcher_ in the river, help me find it."

"You're so stubborn," Hartmann griped. "I'm being serious though, watch your ass."

"I'm being serious too, I'm harder to kill than you think," she swung her remaining sword at another skirmisher, bisecting it easily with her magic strength.

Something was happening though. Coming back down from the hill, the enemy seemed to be retreating. The heavy armored Blackguards and what remained of the skirmishers were moving towards the ford there. Barkhorn looked at the group in amazement as she realized barely any of the Blackguard's number had been thinned. One of the knights had placed them around a hundred, maybe less and Barkhorn wasn't seeing a big difference in that number now.

She raised her sword and took a step, but Hartmann grabbed her shoulder.

"Trudie, _no_," she said, face stern and serious. "We don't have our horses, and you're walking on broken bones. _No_. The fight's over."

Her words were true, however, they had not been victorious.

**40**

After fifteen minutes of running about stabbing skirmishers and running from scores of Blackguards, Perrine was wholly and utterly exhausted. They had hardly stopped for anything with Eila tugging her along insisting they needed to find Sanya; the knights could handle the fighting. The enemy had begun to withdraw after setting fire to a good portion of the camp. This only served to spur Eila to make them search more frantically.

The enemy regrouped at the ford where the siege beast had been destroyed by the hands of the Karlslandian witches. Their leaders were now demanding the witches to come forth for some sort of parley. They wanted the witches of Perrine's company, asking her for her by name. There were two such leaders it seemed, donned in black armor that let them fly with unmoving wings of fire. One was a man with dark hair who sported a thick mustache, and the other was a much older man who looked weary and careworn. Beside the former was Sanya Litvyak, the tip of a Blackguard's spear at her neck.

"Any brave knight who steps forward," the younger of the two men said with a triumphant grin on his face, "will be responsible for having this pretty little thing's throat cut. I would so hate to see that too..."

The remaining knights gathered a safe distance away from the enemy. Perrine saw there was nowhere near the number of two-hundred Barkhorn had boasted. She hoped a portion of them were just trying to put out fires or tend to wounded, although she knew there were a lot of casualties. She stood in the clearing before the Blackguards with Eila at her side. From the group of knights, Yoshika and Lynette came forward. The former looked pale and distant like she was having a hard time coming to terms with what was going on. Lynette looked exhausted and terrified.

Aurora was nowhere to be seen, and Perrine could only pray for her safety.

Erica Hartmann and Gertrud Barkhorn joined them from their battle on the ford. Barkhorn was limping and looked like she had been thrashed up rather badly.

Eila stepped forward, and the Blackguards followed suit. A dozen or so raised spears and moved to form a line, but their leader stopped them by raising a fist.

"None of that, my Elites, this is a civil discussion we're going to have," he lowered his hand and bowed to the witches. "Greetings, you may call me General Jaeger Kunze. I know all of your names quite well at this point."

Sanya's knees buckled and she began to openly cry. A Blackguard behind her had to grab her arms to keep her from falling onto the ground as her strength left her.

"You're going to let her go _right now_," Eila said through gritted teeth. Her hands made fists that were burning with white fire. "Or you'll see what the full wrath of a very pissed off wizard looks like."

"Save your anger you child," Kunze continued to smile his victorious smile. "Do not follow us either. At the first word I hear of you tailing us back to where we're going, Miss Alexsandra dies. Understand that?"

"Don't call her that!" Eila cried out. "That's her name to her family, you disgusting bastard!"

"I've been called much worse," he shrugged, then focused his attention on another. "Gertrud Barkhorn! I almost didn't recognize you under all the blood and mud! How are we doing these days?"

"Go to Hell," Barkhorn spat.

"Yes, that's exactly where I'm going if words of the Church are at all correct," Kunze laughed and began to pace as he spoke. "I'm glad you're here. I'm glad several of you are here because we need to have a talk. Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, Perrine Clostermann, Gertrud Barkhorn, and those two little witches from Britannia and Fuso. Your journey is over, starting tonight. I'm not an unreasonable man, so I'll give you some time to decide your courses home, because that is precisely where you're going. You have two weeks to vacate this place. You will not travel together, and you will not regroup at any point."

"Or what!?" Barkhorn demanded. "My honor is a strong thing, but I will not weaken my country over one Orussian."

Eila turned, facing Barkhorn. White fire exploded around her as her anger got the best of her, "She is not just some Orussian, you fascist whore!"

"Stop," Perrine commanded, her voice level and neutral. This was not the time to start fighting amidst each other, and she was going to put a stop to it. "Sanya! Listen to me, you're going to be okay. Sakamoto has told me many times there is nothing witches can't do."

"Is that what she said?" Kunze laughed again. "Oh my dear Perrine you are so sadly misguided. Sakamoto Mio is the last person you should be taking advice from. I don't know if you're aware of her current, uh, _employment_."

"Don't listen to him, Perrine," Eila said, flames flickering around her like a halo. "He's trying to deceive you!"

"Am I?" Kunze raised his hand. "Shall I call in a witness, then? Mio Sakamoto has defected quite some time ago, and has been a willing servant to Neuroin."

"_Liar!_" Perrine blurted out. Her mind spiraled out of control, and she reached for her rapier, only stopping when she saw the spears trained on Sanya. She gritted her teeth and shook her head. "No, Eila's right. This is just a lie to confuse me. You're the one who is misguided!"

She had to choose her words carefully. This was working to confirm her suspicions that Sakamoto was working behind enemy lines as a spy or decoy; Perrine wasn't sure. However, she couldn't let the enemy know that Sakamoto was the one who had been responsible for starting this journey. The enemy couldn't know she was taking a part in their damned fate.

"Is that so?" Kunze's expression twisted into a more evil smirk. "My most trusted Elites, bring forth our prisoner. He can vouch for my words."

_Prisoner? Oh no... _Perrine knew she wasn't going to like this. She knew she wasn't going to like this at all. From amidst their ranks, the Blackguards Kunze referred to as 'Elite' dragged forth a man who Perrine had become quite familiar with as of late. It seemed Trist had gotten himself captured yet again.

"I'm really no good at this war thing," his usual jovial attitude was there, but dampened in his current situation. "Quite sorry about this, everyone. I had tried to keep our lass Sanya free from the enemy's slimy clutches, but here I am."

Bouts of fire rose around Eila for a moment, and her eyes were set ablaze.

"Trist..." Perrine wasn't sure what to say. This put them at an even more distinct loss if the enemy had two prisoners they could use as leverage. She wasn't particularly enthralled with the man, but she didn't want to see him harmed or thrown in some dungeon forever.

"I must admit..." Kunze said with excitement on his face; that was not something Perrine liked at all, "...my surprise when I found the captain of Paris' watch with dear Alexsandra-"

"_Don't call her that!_" Eila's voice was a scream, the fire around her raging more than ever now.

"Save your breath and your heat you annoying child," Kunze grumbled and continued. "God, you sure know how to ruin a villain's exposition don't you? Listen closely so you don't miss a thing!"

"You're insane," Perrine said.

At that, Kunze could only laugh again, "Perhaps I am! Now imagine my surprise when I find our city guard captain out here in Karlsland! I knew he had left for Gallia with the other Blackguards foolishly sent by Neuroin to die. I remember it clearly because none other than Mio Sakamoto was trying to convince him otherwise. I began to wonder just why the adviser of Neuroin would care what some sad ex-knight was doing. This was clearly him wanting the chance to ride once more into glory or whatever knights do these days. Then I realized, something so blatantly obvious in all of our faces!"

"This is a great story," Trist interrupted, his demeanor slightly shaken. "But I think you can end it there. You caught me right and well. I'm quite a disgrace aren't I? Rode off for glory and got captured as a prisoner when they knew I was captain of the guard."

"No," Kunze shook his head. "I don't think that's the case. Witches do not take prisoners, they never have. I believe you wanted to ride out and see your daughter."

"I'm not seeing what that fact has to do with anything, thank you," Trist took a step backwards, eying the ground. "Yes, I have a daughter no longer in Gallia. We have not spoken for some time, and I don't think she even remembers me."

"Whether that's the case, whether you live or die depends on her acts. If she follows us, both you and Alexsandra will be put to the sword."

"Don't-you-dare!" Eila threatened once more, provoking a disinterested yawn from Kunze.

"Who is she?" Perrine asked Trist, "Who is he talking about?"

Kunze smirked, "Yes, why don't you tell her, _Tristepin Clostermann_."

Perrine felt like she had just been dropped from a very high place. Mentally, she reeled and felt like she was going to faint for a moment. This time she knew it wasn't a lie; it wasn't a ruse to confuse her. She was looking forward at Trist, no, _Tristepin_, at his amber eyes. They were the same as hers. She felt like a fool. It had been so obvious, and she had been blind to it the whole time. He hadn't even tried to be subtle with the name he had given them. If Perrine had just thought for a moment, she would have remembered.

_"Oh my dear little Perrine, what ever shall I do?" Her mother swooned in playful mock-drama. She called to Perrine's father, "Oh Tristepin, our beautiful daughter has suffered the most grievous of all maladies! A skinned knee!"_

She remembered her mother's voice, and then the voice of Takei Junko.

_"Yes, everyone loved Eva. You two look quite alike, except you have your father's eyes. I never met him, but Eva's eyes were blue while yours are amber."_

Then she remembered something from long ago, around the time of the first memory. A tall (at least to her), brave man in shining armor who was the most handsome person in the world to her. Amber eyes just like hers, and long dark hair that blew freely in the Gallian wind. That and his neatly trimmed beard made him a heartthrob for the ladies of Gallia. She remembered him bending down on knee and presenting her a rose, saying, "_For you, my beautiful daughter._"

They were memories locked away by the trauma of losing everything at such a young age. Her mind had refused to relive old memories of happier times, as they brought back too much grief. The repressing had made her blind to something that should have been obvious.

"I didn't want you to find out this way," her father said, remorse written across the face. Perrine saw him, and did not see that brave knight who loved nothing more to work with his wife to make Perrine laugh. She saw a broken man – haggard, weary, and exhausted. Perrine didn't know what sort of emotion she was supposed to feel. All she felt was a vague sense of pity and surprise.

"How did you, then?" She asked, feeling tears spill down her cheek. "When were you going to tell me?"

"You lived your whole life without me," he replied, this time finally making eye-contact with her. "Mio Sakamoto may have played a great part in ruining Eva and I's wedding, but she did a fine job of raising you. I cannot thank her enough for this. You were her child, not mine. I wanted to see you again, but I wasn't going to take that from her."

"That's enough," Kunze spoke. "You two can continue this reunion some other time... or maybe you won't. It doesn't matter to me. Come now, Elites, it is time to leave. Say your goodbyes, everyone."

"_Wait!_" Perrine cried, tears running down her face in full force. "Don't take him! He's nothing to you! Please, just leave him behind!"

"No," Kunze shook his head, turning around with the rest of the Blackguards. "We're done here. I hope you cherished your time with your dear father, Perrine Clostermann, I doubt you'll see him again."

Tristepin gave one last glance at his daughter, his own eyes watering as one of the Blackguards roughly pulled him away. Once again, Perrine had lost her father.

Sanya, who had been seemingly paralyzed with fear throughout the whole ordeal suddenly and frantically burst out, "_Eila! _Help me! Don't let them take me away! _Eila!_"

The fire around Eila vanished as if carried away by the wind. She stood there, eyes watery as she watched the person closest to her taken away. She could do little more than mouth the simple words, "_I'm sorry_."

The enemy had been triumphant that day, Jaeger Kunze had gotten what he wanted, but there was still a loose end to tie up. He retrieved a handful of torn pinkish fabric from his belt pouch and raised it the air. His grip was released on it, and the wind carried it.

"Gertrud Barkhorn, do you recognize that shred of cloth?" Kunze paused his march and looked over his shoulder. "It belongs to dear little Christiane Barkhorn. I would suggest you do as I asked if you want to see her again."

"You're bluffing!" Barkhorn shouted through gritted teeth. She was beginning to succumb to her wounds, hardly able to stand now. One arm was over Hartmman's shoulder, who was helping her stand.

Kunze laughed, "Call me on it then. Let your sister's death haunt you to the grave because of it!"

"You bastard!" she spat, trying to shove Hartmann away. "Come back and fight me you bastard!"

"No, I don't think I'll do that."

She didn't pursue him. She could only stand there lamely beside Eila and Perrine. Jaeger Kunze had wronged them each, taking away something they cherished. Perrine hadn't even known what she had until it was gone, and now she would have given anything to have it back. There were a million questions she wanted to ask. Why did her father never try to find her after she escaped to Britannia with Sakamoto all those years ago? What was Sakamoto doing now? How did she almost ruin his wedding with her mother? Those were just a few she had in mind.

Beside her, Eila looked hollow and distant like her heart had been torn out. There were no tears though, because Eila hated tears.

"You bastard..." Barkhorn spat again, this time her voice weak and little more than a whisper. She fell to her hands and knees, armor clanking, and punched the ground hard. "Even if it's a bluff, I'll kill him just for pretending to use my baby sister as a hostage. He's crossed the line."

"I meant what I said," Perrine spoke up, turning away from the ford and the direction of Gallia. She wiped tears from her eyes and began marching back up the hill. "Witches can do anything. I'm getting my father back, with or without Sanya and your sister. I can't guarantee all three of their rescues, but I promise nothing I do will put them in danger."

"And just how do you plan to do that!?" Eila shouted at her, the fire around her fists appearing again.

Perrine looked over her shoulder, and despite everything, smiled, "With the help of a dear friend of mine; a wizard. We'll find a way."

"If he has my sister, then I'm coming too!" Barkhorn said, pushing herself to her feet.

Eila sighed, "I guess you know me, Perrine. I'm not going to let him keep Sanya for long. I have a spell that can locate people if I have something like their hair or article of clothing. If he does have your sister, Priestess, I'll know."

"Priestess?" Barkhorn cocked an eyebrow again.

Eila shook her head. "Forget it, Karlslander."

"Uh, right," Barkhorn looked confused but limped over to the other two. "Thank you for this, Miss Juutilainen, I-"

"Just Eila, seriously."

"Right, Just Eila, thank you for doing this even if I roughed up your sister. Look, if he does have my sister, and you help me save her... Hartmann and I will go with you. I promise."

**To Be Continued**

_**Author's Notes/Commentary**_**- **_Oh boy, two songs to recommend out of this one! The first is _Cremation_ by _King Diamond_. I like to picture all the scenes of them fighting in the camp along to this. It's pretty awesome, I think. It's use in the game _Brutal Legend_ was fucking great too. I think everyone who knows about this game could have guessed I'm a fan._

_Second one is the theme for Jaeger Kunze in this chapter, the one quoted at the top: _Where Silent Gods Stand Guard_ by _Amon Amarth. _It's about fucking time we get to some _Amon Amarth_! Don't worry, we'll definitely have some more later in the second book. Long time readers knew I couldn't write a fantasy story without being inspired by this band. _


	14. Witches of Misfortune

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Witches of Misfortune**

"_There's no time  
Don't hold me down  
You crossed the line  
NOW YOU'RE FUCKED!_"

-Epidemic of Hate _by _Dying Fetus

**41**

It was late into the night, and Perrine's weary body was begging for sleep, but the mind wouldn't allow it. She sat on a wooden stool with Eila near the entrance to her tent. All there was left to do was to wait for Eila to finish her spell. They were lucky that their tents were far enough up the hill to survive the fires from the enemy. Many men and women were sleeping on cold, hard ground under the sky that night.

Eila had collected that scrap of what may have been Christiane Barkhorn's clothes, and then gathered a few silver hairs from Sanya's pillow. She placed them both in a bowl of water, and sat beside it, whispering ancient and forgotten arcane words. The display was half the reason Perrine couldn't sleep even if she wanted to. The inside of the tent was basked in eldritch purple glow. Eila's hair fluttered from a breeze that wasn't there, and her eyes were shot wide open. Her normal indigo pupils were gone, replaced with a simple bright white, glowing slightly. She sat cross legged, with both hands over the bowl. It had been hours since she had started, and nothing had changed except the fact that both she and bowl were now several inches off the ground, suspended by some unknown force.

It didn't make Perrine feel comfortable at all.

She tried not to think about it, and sat staring at the red walls of the tent, letting her mind wander. She revisited the recent days when she had been unknowingly riding alongside her father. Everything about his behavior made perfect sense now. She understood why he had been so interested about her upbringing, yet always a little awkward and uncomfortable around her. For the first time in her life, Perrine felt an overwhelming sense of hatred towards another true human being. The mere image of Jaeger Kunze in her head made her see red. She almost wished he had never mentioned who 'Trist' really was, so that she could have gone on in blissful ignorance. Instead, he had shown her the truth, as a way to stab her heart.

Her hand rested on the basket hilt of her rapier, a weapon of Gallian nobles. She thought that like rapiers, revenge never went out of style in Gallia. Kunze had stabbed her heart metaphorically, so Perrine considered stabbing his heart literally. She couldn't even begin to imagine the sort of things Eila and Gertrud Barkhorn wanted to do to him.

No sooner than Barkhorn entered her mind, she entered the tent in person, wearing a red tunic with a black cross on the front that went a little bit past her waist, and that seemed to be it. Bandages covered her; she had told Miyafuji to heal the broken bones and then focus on her more injured knights instead.

"Hey, is the spell finished?" She walked past Perrine.

Eila's eyes quickly returned to their normal state, her hair fell flat, and both she and the bowl landed on the ground. Water splashed, and Eila looked up at Barkhorn with murder in her eyes, "Well, it almost was, but now thanks to you I have to start all over! When I said to wait until I said it was finished, I meant that!"

"Great..." Barkhorn gave a grumbling sigh and flopped onto Perrine's bed. "It'll be dawn by the time you finish."

"No, it'll be afternoon, because I'm going to sleep," Eila replied in a huff.

"You stole my bed," Perrine said.

"Really?" Barkhorn sat up and gave a groan of frustration. "I'm sorry for my impatience. It's... probably best to let the enemy get some distance between us before we start hunting them. I don't want them to think we're retaliating instantly."

"That's probably good thinking. May I have my bed back?"

Eila stood up and fell face first onto her cot, burying her head with her pillow. "Wizard need sleep badly..."

"Yeah, yeah…" Perrine said with a wave of her hand. "I could use some shut-eye too. Barkhorn, my first born child for my bed back?"

"I don't want your kids," Barkhorn said, looking Perrine in the eye. "I want your word that no matter what happens when we go to rescue those three, I can count on you. This may not be a direct fight; we may need to do some sneaking with knives in the dark. I need to know that you're okay with this, and that some form of Gallian honor isn't going to stop you from doing what needs to be done. I've seen your companion Lynette and overheard her talks with Miyafuji. I need to know you're willing to do what needs to be done even if it seems like the wrong thing."

"I prefer a more direct approach but..." Perrine patted her rapier's hilt. "This weapon can silence someone from behind rather easily if I so wished. I can move silent, I can move fast, I can do what needs to be done. As for Eila-"

"Who's trying to sleep," the wizard interrupted, "and can speak for herself. I'm not going to go into detail about what my magic can do. I won't disappoint if that's what you're worried about."

Barkhorn nodded, and stood up. She patted Perrine's shoulder as she walked past and said, "She who stands with me shall be my sister. Get some rest."

Perrine didn't need to be told twice.

**42**

Sleep didn't come as easy for Gertrud Barkhorn. Her mind was ablaze with thoughts and memories, kept alive by the anxiety of her sister being in the clutches of Jaeger Kunze. She wanted to believe it was a bluff, but her intuition knew it was the truth. A witch's magic took on many subtle forms beyond the primary spell each one had, and Barkhorn knew this intuition was an extension of that. The fate that was in store for her sister was unknown.

She lay in bed, no covers, rigid and staring at the ceiling (like a plank, Hartmann would have said). Her eyes adjusted to the dark, and she traced the faded lines of scars on her body from more fights than she could count. Was there ever a time when her body was smooth skinned and beautiful? What would it be like when she aged a few more years and her magic finally gave out? With her strength gone, it would go beyond her skill as a warrior faltering – she wouldn't be a warrior at all. Her fighting prowess relied on raw strength rather than quick and cunning skills like Erica Hartmann. Her time as a warrior was ticking away, and the thought kept her awake.

She tried to recall other things, happier things, from her past. A weary smile crossed her lips as she thought about how she had been as a child. A spoiled, entitled little brat to say the least. If the people around her thought she was a pain to deal with now, they should have been around ten years ago.

Gertrud recalled the kitchen in the home she grew up in, a very familiar and warm place that she wished she could revisit. She recalled all the smells of sweets her mother cooked on summer days; days where she would come inside covered in dirt and grass stains from playing with the neighbor kids. Her mother would scold her, dragging her off to a cold bath before she could have apple tarts. She would cry and throw fits as her mother roughly scrubbed her down. Vindictive over those baths, she would often refuse to have any supper only later to complain about being too hungry to sleep.

It seemed back then her problems were as simple as her parents disciplining her when she made a mess or stayed out past dark to explore places she and her friends decided were haunted. Old man Bachmeier, the poor farmer down the lane, suffered the most to them. They were utterly convinced he was a ghost, and out to find proof any way they could... mostly at night to the horrible disdain of her parents. Gertrud smiled as she remembered her mother dragging her down that lane by the ear to apologize to Bachmeier.

Then one day, while her mother was flipping through that grand book of recipes, Gertrud her noticed her stomach was a little bigger; a little rounder. Was she getting fat? She had wondered, and later that month asked. No, her stomach was bigger because Gertrud was going to have a little sister come winter. Everything at that moment had changed for the worst. She didn't understand why her parents wanted another baby. What was wrong with her? Why did they need another child unless they weren't happy with her and were trying again? From that day on, she vowed to be the best daughter possible.

That had lasted all of a week before she had gone back to her old ways. Her friends told her God delivered babies through some bird called a stork. If that were the case then Gertrud could only wonder why her mother's belly had gotten so big.

Then Chris came, a little bundle of misery who seemed to exist for the sole purpose of ruining Gertrud's life. Overnight, it had appeared that her parents had forgotten all about her, and only cared about little Christiane. She couldn't understand why at all; to her babies seemed like horrible little things that only ate, pooped, and cried. Worst of all, because of Chris, her parents had almost entirely forgotten her birthday that following March. Her father had humored her with a bit of pocket money to spend with her friends, but there was no cake and there were no presents. They were too preoccupied with the baby.

It only got worse from there. Something was happening in Karlsland, nobody would tell Gertrud the details. Something was happening and her father needed to travel with the other men in the town. Fighting had broken out in several places across Karlsland and now able-bodied men were needed for combat. Who were they fighting? Evil men, Gertrud was told, led by a very evil person named Neuroin who could command monsters from nightmares. He had fought before across Europe, leading armies of corrupted men and monsters. Her maternal grandfather had died fighting them, years ago.

"_Trude, you must be strong while I'm gone,_" her father had said to her, kneeling down on one knee to wipe tears from her eyes. "_I won't be back for a long time, but I promise I _will_ be back. Hang in there, and be the man of the house while I'm gone, or at least just a good big sister. Chris will need you._"

"_I don't want to be a big sister though!_" she had cried, hugging her father tight. "_Don't go, Papa!_"

The next thing she remembered was anger weeks later, being forced to babysit for Chris while her mother did the shopping alone. All Chris did was scream and throw tantrums, crying for a Papa that wasn't coming back soon. Gertrud could only tug her hair and frustration and scream at her baby sister that Papa wasn't there, and she was going to have to make do with her instead. Inversely Gertrud had to learn to make do with her sister as well, and over the months she formed a begrudging acceptance of her role as big sister.

She didn't understand just what that role would mean before the summer after her eleventh birthday, when their hometown was sacked by Neuroin's forces. Gertrud was no longer just an older sister, but now Chris' sole guardian and caretaker. She had lost sight of her mother in the chaos of the evacuations, become separated from her, and things only got worse from there.

A farmer's young stallion had been left unattended in a field, and in the empty farmhouse there had been a longsword.

Gertrud Barkhorn's real story started there.

**43**

"So?" Perrine said, watching Eila fork at a plate of scrambled eggs.

"So? So what?" Eila replied, glaring up at her with tired eyes. They each sat on their cots, looking at one another. Morning had barely come and already Eila was up with breakfast she had gotten from somewhere.

"So, did you redo the spell?"

Eila didn't answer; she held out a fork full of eggs to Perrine. "These are good, want some?"

"No, I don't want some," Perrine replied, and took a moment to yawn. She was barely awake, but was eager to get moving towards rescuing her father and Sanya. "I want to know if you redid the spell."

Eila didn't lift her head, and said nothing again. Perrine stared up at the ceiling of the tent, listening to her stomach rumble from hunger. She had no appetite, and wondered if she could even stomach food right now with how her mind was dizzily spinning. She wondered what it meant that her father was still alive, and what kind of life or relationship they would have after she rescued him. It was difficult to imagine simply having a father where there hadn't been one, but at the same she couldn't imagine just going on without him in her life in some way.

In front of her, Eila lifted her head and gazed up at Perrine. She had a sleepy expression on her face – tired and careworn.

"Did you know that the worst monsters are people?" Eila asked. "Dying isn't all that bad, Perrine. That's all the Dark Ones do, kill and destroy. It takes a special kind of monster that only humans can be to scare us more than anything... something worse than what we think hides in the dark, under our beds, in our closest."

"Eila..."

Eila's hands made fists, and she bit hard to fight back tears. In a shaky voice, she continued, "We saw one of _his _old slaves... and Sanya cried. She... she said it was the most frightening, unsettling thing she had ever seen and was terrified of thinking just what that girl had gone through."

Perrine flinched back in surprise as the sheets around Eila burst into flames, blasting Perrine with heat. The white fire ate at the fabric, catching to Eila's dress. Her eyes were set ablaze too, and the fire creeping across the body did not seem to even catch her attention.

"Now there she is!" Eila cried. White flames burst around her, setting the walls of the tent ablaze. Perrine stood up, grabbed all her things in a clumsy armful and made her way to the exit. "There she is Perrine! Swallowed by a waking nightmare after begging me to save her! I couldn't do it... _I couldn't save her!_"

"You'll get your chance!" Perrine cried and stumbled out of the tent. "Setting things on fire isn't going to help her!"

Perrine didn't know what effect, if any, her words had had, she simply watched their tent go up in smoke. A crowd soon gathered, confused and a little frightened. A few of Perrine's companions watched on as well: Miyafuji, Lynette, and Erica.

"Tell them she's okay," Perrine instructed the latter. "She's certainly not going to make us friends with this little display, but she's perfectly safe."

Hartmann did so, but her words did little to reassure the knights and stewards who watched in awe. Hartmann herself didn't seem convinced of Perrine's words until the tent was burned down to nothing and Eila sat motionless on the ground with burnt scraps of clothes around her, skin stained with ash. "That's a neat trick," Erica said when it was over, pursing her lips. "It's like my sister said: wizards cause spectacles wherever they go whether they mean to or not."

"Your sister would be right," Perrine frowned, and dropped her things in the grass at her feet.

"What happened?" Yoshika asked from behind her.

"She got angry," Perrine answered, and pulled her surcoat off from over her head. Beneath it she was wearing a simple tunic without sleeves that showed off more of her than she would have liked to the strangers around her. Ignoring her slight discomfort, she stepped through the ashes and knelt beside Eila and forced her surcoat over her. There was something inherently wrong with seeing the Gallian surcoat on Eila, but she wasn't going to have her companion sitting indecent in front of strangers. Eila's gaze was distant an unflinching, like she was staring off in the distance.

Hartmann said something in Karlslandian and waved her hand. The Karlslanders slowly began to leave the scene, murmuring to one another in their tongue.

"Finishing the enemy's job by torching our tents, huh?" came Gertrud Barkhorn's voice, and the sound of her boots crunching through ash and charred wood. She was in her armor, looking like sleep had eluded her. She offered Eila hand, "Get up, we have work to do, don't we?"

Eila took her hand and was pulled to her feet. She let go of Barkhorn's hand and wavered slightly in place. With a clumsy step, she moved towards Perrine, then practically fell at her. Perrine caught her, pulling her into a tight embrace. They rested heads on each other's shoulder. Despite saying that she hated tears, Eila was crying, latching onto Perrine tightly as ashes fell around them like dark snow. Perrine stood strong, feeling like she had no tears to shed anymore. All that was left was sheer willpower and determination to change these truths by victory.

"We'll get her back, Eila," Perrine told her. "I... didn't mean what I said last night. When I said that I was getting my father back with our without her. It's all or nothing Eila, I promise."

"Stupid, hard-headed Gallian," Eila sniffled, and gave Perrine's chest a light punch. "You don't know where we're going, what we're facing, and you're just ready to jump right in without a second thought, huh?"

Near them, Barkhorn shrugged, "I see no problem with that kind of spirit."

Eila jabbed at Perrine again and continued, "I've seen you nearly die over and over again on our journey. We're not as good as we think Perrine, and we're no longer in control of the situation at all; don't you understand?"

Perrine let go of her, and ignored the hitting. She simply crossed her arms, stood strong, and replied, "Yes, I do understand. Maybe those we fight are bigger than us, more skilled, and outnumber us. That hasn't stopped us before, and will continue that way."

"You're stubborn," Eila rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration. "No matter what Neuroin puts in front of you, or throws at you, you're not gonna quit, are you?"

"No."

"You remind me of someone," Eila said, wiping the last of her tears away. She paced barefoot in the ashes, watching Perrine. "I helped her get into a place she shouldn't have gone, to do something I told her was impossible. No matter the odds, she was too stubborn to even consider defeat. You're just like her."

Perrine nodded, and felt a smile cross her lips. "Yes," she replied, "that woman raised me after all. I guess you could say she's foster mother. So, where are we going, Eila?"

Eila raised a hand to silence any further questions, "Let me get washed up and changed. I'll explain everything."

"I'm patient," Barkhorn commented, and stood beside Perrine. "You two were talking about Mio Sakamoto, weren't you? I only met her once, but Minna spoke of her when they were companions as we are now. She said that Mio was unshakable, that no obstacle seemed too much for her."

"Sounds like she's describing you, Trudie," Hartmann chuckled as she approached them. She passed Eila, who was headed for the river. "What's that phrase you have?"

"There's time for regret when I'm dead," Barkhorn answered.

"You can call me bold and stubborn," Perrine spoke up, pushing her glasses up the rim of her nose, "but I'm not reckless by nature. I have done reckless things when no other option was presented, but I rarely seem to suffer anything more than superficial injuries."

"Well, I'm still alive," Barkhorn shrugged, and patted Perrine's shoulder. "I'm also the one that killed that Siege Beast in the battle last night. Yes, I admit to being reckless but reckless is what has gotten me this far."

"But which will get us further, I wonder?" Perrine retorted, locking eyes with Barkhorn.

**44**

Everyone gave Eila her space as she went to bathe up river, taking with her a change of clothes. Like she had done at the lake they had camped against in Denmark, she waded into the waist deep water and stayed there for hours alone. A little down river (far away from the ford) Yoshika and Lynette took it upon themselves to do something the company desperately needed done: laundry. Everyone was given spare clothes meant for the knights so all their clothes properly be washed.

The two friends worked side by side, and Lynette passed the time with a song,

"_Bring me my Bow of burning gold;  
Bring me my Arrows of desire:  
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!  
Bring me my Chariot of fire!_

I will not cease from Mental Fight,  
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:  
Till we have built Jerusalem,  
In Britannia's green & pleasant Land

"

"That's such a pretty song, Lyn!" Miyafuji praised her. "Did you write it yourself?"

"Well, I..." Lynette blushed turned her head.

"She didn't," answered the voice of Aurora. The Suom was practically stumbling as she made her way down to the other two; a bottle of nearly empty liquor was in hand as well. There were dark circles under her bloodshot eyes, and neither of the two had seen her in a worse state. "That," she continued, "is an old poem, right? You just put it to song, right?"

Lynette nodded, cheeks red, "Y-Yes... my father often said most poems make good songs. Did... did you like it?"

"Yeah, you're like an angel!" Aurora laughed and practically collapsed into a sitting position.

The Britannian girl blushed hard, tugged at the hem of her shirt but did reply.

It seemed that, along the way, Lynette had won Aurora's favor. No longer was she the scared, sniveling girl who stood petrified in fear on the stone piers of Castle Folkestone. She had come a long way, strengthened by the support of her friends and her sense of duty. Kill for kill, she held the highest number of enemies felled since they left Folkestone. The greatest of her regrets was that many of those kills were not Dark Ones. Each arrow had to the potential to create a widow or an orphan, and it was something Lynette was bitterly and keenly aware of. She told herself repeatedly that it was for the greater good, but the words felt like hollow attempts to bring an easier sleep.

Perrine joined them soon, leading Hasufel to better water and grass that grew around the Rhine. She saw Aurora sitting and said, "I didn't see you during the fighting yesterday. That's not like you, we've been partners every battle so far."

Aurora shrugged and rested in the high, green grass. Her previous cheer and enthusiasm was dampened, and her gaze was fixed on the clouds rolling across the blue sky. "There was a lot of panic during that fight," Aurora said, "and me and your dad there decided to see if everyone was okay. Really, we went straight for Sanya."

"She was missing when we found her tent," Perrine told her.

"That sounds right," Aurora continued, "we made our way there and... wow, Trist is no lightweight with that sword. Blackguard Elites were on us, and I was a little worried because these things can be hard to put down."

"Excuse me," Yoshika interrupted, raising a hand shyly. "What are 'Elites'? Nobody has told me so far."

"Me neither," Lynette added.

"I have the vaguest idea," Perrine replied to them. "Men who have lost their humanity. They're complete slaves to Neuroin and his lackeys. Sakamoto spoke that they fight like statues or ghosts who ignore physical pain in a way a true man never could."

"They have no hearts," Aurora spoke up, making Lynette and Yoshika gasp. "They're replaced with the red gems, but they don't keep them in their bodies. It makes their mortal bodies impossible to slay."

"But how can that be!?" Perrine blurted out. "I saw Hartmann and Barkhorn slay dozens last night. Are you telling me what I saw was some sort of deception."

Aurora sat up and shook her head, "No, just... they don't usually stay dead like this. Something's up, but, you want to hear the rest of my story, right?"

"Of course," Perrine nodded.

"Okay, so Trist and I have to fight our way to Sanya. Those Elites really put me on the defensive, like, I'll take hit to hit them harder but I can't even get a good swing in. Not Trist, he knew right where every crack in their armor was it was like. We had to work as a team, sort of like those two Karlslanders but not as pretty to look at. There weren't all that many, and the other knights were helping out so we cleared a path pretty easy. We round the corner and we see _him_ there with about a score of those Elite. He's got Sanya, or, she's going with him. What's she supposed to do, right?"

Perrine nodded and bit her lip, "So you two found them before we did."

Aurora sighed, taking a big swig of her bottle of hard liquor. She finished it, and threw it into the river with a splash. "Yeah, and there wasn't a damned thing I could do," she stared upwards again. "We had our weapons ready, and even with the knights around us, this wasn't a fight we could win. That _monster_ laughed at us and said, '_There are three witches in all of Europe that can best me in a fight. You, Suom, are none of those three._'"

Perrine thought on who those three could be. Sakamoto was the obvious first name that came into her head, then perhaps Hanna-Justina Marseille; another Karlsland rider who had a fierce reputation of being an unbeatable warrior. Who was the third though? Hartmann or Barkhorn? Or perhaps some combination of the four?  
"So Trist sheathed his sword and backed up," Aurora continued, "but Kunze recognized him! Said he knew who he was, that he was Tristepin Clostermann from Paris. I knew right away that he was your dad, 'cause I already had a hunch. You two sort of looked alike, especially around the eyes, and I guess it just sort of all added up, you know?"

"I do," Perrine understood. "Although myself, I was too dense to make the connection before it was laid plainly out before my eyes. By then it was too late, and he was gone. If I learned anything about my father, is that he's a survivalist, and is quite good at talking his way out of rough situations. I assume he went with them willingly? You said he's a good fighter, but he's not a witch, the Dark Ones would have hunted him down if he tried to escape."

"That's how it goes," Aurora said. "So I... I watched Kunze take Sanya and your father and there wasn't a damned thing I could do about it."

"So drink yourself to death," Perrine muttered in a voice that was bitter even for her. Her three companions glared up at her in shock at her words. She simply took the reins of Hasufel and led the reluctant horse away from the quality grass there. Over her shoulder she said, "Forgive me if my sympathies have run dry. We suffered a loss, but your sister and I are working to make what amends we can. You're helping no one by trying to drown your sorrows; least of all your sister. While you were drinking in solitude, she had an emotional breakdown. Things caught on fire."

"I did see the fire," Aurora did not seem very bothered by Perrine's words. "I'm not like you, or those Karlslanders. Some witches can carry on with their magic gone, but that's just not me. That axe of mine can't compensate for what's gone forever, and it doesn't help that I was never a good fighter to begin with. My magic was a spell that kept me alive when I should have died countless times in Orussia. The witches in my company nicknamed me 'The Invincible Aurora' because that's almost was I was. Then, I grew up and that magic went away. Without to rely on, I'm a pretty terrible warrior."

"You made it this far," Perrine said down to her, stopping briefly. "Lynette was also a rather terrible warrior, no offense-"

"None taken," Lynette interjected.

"-we've suffered losses together. Eila doesn't care if you were incapable of protecting Sanya, you shouldn't use this an excuse to hide from her. Stop this moping about, you far out-skilled me when we first met. Eila's heart is broken by this whole ordeal and I think she'd much rather appreciate the company of a loving sister than a Gallian girl such as myself; thank you very much."

She did not spare Aurora another glance as she walked away. She felt a touch of guilt for how brutally honest her words were, but felt they were justified. She was not going to have their company fall apart and feel their hope crushed to nothing after a single defeat. They were in a hard place, but Perrine was not going to see any of them giving up just yet like Aurora seemed to. She made her way back up the hill, and did spare Aurora and the other two a look. Aurora was moving up the bank of the river in Eila's direction.

**45**

"So Kunze said there were only three fighters in all of Europe could beat him?" Erica Hartmann repeated what Perrine had relayed to her. The two of them were passing the time sparring with wooden practice swords. Perrine had really met her match with Hartmann, who just seemed to outclass her swordsmanship in every way.

"Yes," Perrine said, holding her wooden sword outwards at her opponent. She stood sideways, with her other hand at her hip in a standard fencing pose. Hartmann's stance was much more lax, standing quite casually but keeping her sword at arm's reach. The Karlslander moved forward, her attack aggressive and quick, coming it at an odd angle that was hard for Perrine to block. She did so, but Hartmann delivered a low kick to her legs that set her off balance and sent her stumbling backwards onto her rear.

"Don't block every time because you don't want to get hit," Hartmann told her, lowering her sword and offering a hand to help her up. There was a cheerful expression on her face that Perrine felt a bit infectious. She always seemed to be in a good mood.

Perrine let herself be pulled up and replied, "I don't understand what you mean. I block precisely because I don't want to be hit."

"There's your problem," Hartmann smiled and playfully patted Perrine's cheek, making her bite her lip in embarrassment. "You should block because it allows you an opening to parry and counter; or even disarm your opponent. Everything in a sword fight should be worked to your advantage, even your opponent's moves. See, try and strike me."

Perrine nodded and stepped back, raising her sword again and taking her stance.

"Your form is good. It's no surprise Miss Sakamoto drilled that into you, but watch. Okay, attack me."

Perrine swung her sword, and Hartmann blocked it from above so that their weapons were locked between them. "Now watch," she smiled and spun her sword in a quick arc to hit Perrine's again from below, effectively sending it flying out of her hands. "There! A perfect disarm!"

"Where did you learn all this?" Perrine asked in awe as she went to retrieve her weapon. "Sakamoto never taught me these techniques, and she certainly knows all of these."

"I picked up things here and there," she replied with a shrug. "Learned some things from Minna who learned from Sakamoto. Not all of it comes in handy, but it's pretty simple to perform a _maki waza_ on someone who's using a hand-and-a-half sword like it's a rapier."

"Well, normally I fight with one," Perrine pointed out.

"But here you weren't," she continued to smile. "It's not good to be set in your ways as a sword fighter, you need to adapt to whatever the situation presents and... whoa."

"Whoa?" Perrine repeated, and saw a surprised, confused look on Hartmann's face. She looked about and then repeated genuinely herself, "_Whoa!_"

Her eyes find the ford down the hill from afar. Standing up from the mud and water, the dead Elite Blackguards defeated the night before were pushing themselves to their feet. Staggering as though they were intoxicated, they retrieved weapons, shields, and even missing limbs and splashed through the carrion infested ford towards Gallia. They sometimes helped one another if one was too badly maimed to walk alone. Perrine stood in watched, an expression of utter revulsion on her face. These men had been robbed of all their humanity and turned into the walking dead.

"Dear Father in Heaven..." she whispered, desperately clasping at her rosary. She wasn't sure what to do, and neither did anyone else. All around her she heard words of confusion and fear; scared and jumbled Karlslandian between knights and stewards.

Erica Hartmann stood at her side and watched the dead march their way back to Gallia. She shook her head, and her smile finally faltered. In a low voice she said, "I really hate this war..."

**46**

An eerie night fell with a bright moon overhead, and the sight of the literal walking dead had set everyone on edge. Once the nightly wine started flowing, ghost stories and general joking about the macabre situation started spreading. Perrine found no humor in it, but understood what the surviving knights were doing. They were trying to hide the gravity of the situation from themselves. While she did not understand their words, both the Karlslandian witches had told her what the general situation was. They had suffered a crushing loss, countless knights were dead and any losses the enemy suffered were being mended. None of the Elite Blackguards had truly died, and the Dark Ones never seemed to have a limit to their numbers.

Perrine sat alone with Barkhorn, the two of them waiting for Eila to complete her spell in Barkhorn's tent. Alone. There were to be no interruptions, and Aurora was standing guard to make sure that would be the case. There was no conversation to be bad between the two of them, they simply sat together and waited. Part of Perrine wanted to get to know her companion more; understand who she was and where she had come from, but she decided that could wait until better times.

It was near midnight when Aurora fetched them, relaying that Eila was ready to pass on the news. They followed Aurora together in silence and entered Barkhorn's tent. Eila was there before the bowl she used for her spell. She was dressed in a deep purple silk bathrobe that Perrine had never seen before, and at her side was her elusive black fox that seemed to simply disappear for weeks at a time. It all added to the mystery around Eila. Perrine never felt like she undestood the wizard any better. If anything, she felt like she understood her less as time went on.

Barkhorn spoke first, looking down anxiously at Eila, "Was... was he bluffing? I know in my heart the answer is no, but I need to hear it from you."

Eila looked up at her with weary, indigo eyes and spoke, "Yes. He has your sister, Christiane Barkhorn. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get started on this spell. When I lost control of my emotions, I lost control of my magic as well and it goes beyond just that fire. My magic as a witch was thrown out of alignment and suddenly I was living simultaneously in five different periods in time all within a minute of each other as well as seeing into multiple other worlds simultaneously. I can't describe how overwhelmingly uncomfortable that is. Water helps me realign my perceptions."

"What in God's name are you babbling about?" Barkhorn stared at Eila like she was absolutely crazy. "Stop talking about weird mysticism and your creepy occult stuff and tell us where they are!"

"Hey," Perrine put a firm hand on Gertrud's shoulder. "That 'creepy occult stuff' as you call it is what's going to help us find our way. The least you could do is be a little sympathetic towards the price Eila pays for it."

Barkhorn sighed irritably and muttered, "I apologize. I'm just getting tired of these delays. Even if we delude the enemy into thinking we're not following them with this wait, I still wish to have time make a plan before it's too late."

"You're not the only one," Eila said, and stood up. She inhaled deeply, and then told them, "We have problems though. Using my magic, I saw just where Sanya and Perrine's father are being taken... and where your little sister is. Jaeger Kunze is operating not far from here, in the largest stronghold against Karlsland there is."

"No," Barkhorn shook her head, and paced anxiously. "No, no, no, not there. You're not talking about _there_, right?"

"I hope _there_ has a proper name," Perrine commented as she watched her companion pace. "Eila, care to elaborate a bit more?"

Eila nodded, "Our target is _Dunkelheit_."

"Dunkelheit?" Perrine repeated. "I'm unfamiliar with this place."

"Dunkelheit," Barkhorn repeated, pacing more frantically. "It's the staging ground for all operations against Karlsland from Gallia. Back when Neuroin's forces were entrenched deep in Karlsland, burning out cities and killing our people, a massive push was made to crush Dunkelheit and kill the generals who waged war there. A garrison of five-hundred Elite Blackguard and two thousand or so Dark Ones held off a siege of nearly fifteen thousand men on those fields. When _Annihilators _came, the battle was over and we were forced to retreat. So, what do we do? Kick down the door and hack our way through?"

"That would be suicide," Perrine shook her head, now fully understanding the problem. _Annihilators _were a seldom seen type of Dark One that took to the skies like massive, unmoving birds. Vaguely arrowhead shaped, they were nigh impossible to defeat due to their massive size, and they rained down absolute death; demolishing ground forces. Sakamoto had once said there were rumored to be no more than a dozen in existence, but that dozen kept armies from retaking Gallia almost single handed.

"When Moscow was occupied, it was a similar situation," Eila told them. "Skies filled with the enemy, and a barricades and walls to stop enemy forces from getting any sort of foothold to retake it. I talked to my sister a bit about this before she fetched you two. She was there, she was part of the team that cut the head off the snake so to say. Her and nine other witches. We've gone under the moniker, _Strike Witches_; her old company went under the name _Witches of Misfortune_."

Perrine thought about what she had gathered from Aurora's stories, as brief as they were. She had gotten her axe from some Blackguard officer in a battle; a high ranking one at that. When that woman, Nancy, asked about her previous companions she had simply said they were 'gone'. It seemed for Aurora there was simply no real victories for her, no rest at the end of the journey. Perrine felt pity for Eila's sister and began to wish she had never been brought from Britannia. She was neither really needed, and was only suffering fight after fight.

"So how'd she do it?" Barkhorn asked Eila. "How does a Suom and her nine pals infiltrate a city and kill the heads of an army? Certainly she didn't storm the gates, did she?"

Eila shook her head, and cracked a smile, "You could say that she did, actually. However, it wasn't the main gates, but back doors and crawl ways built and hidden over the decades. Every stronghold has them, you know? No castle is impregnable, not even Dunkelheit. We could march an army to those doors, or bring your knights, and be slaughtered but..."

"...if we sneaked in," Perrine finished her thought, with a smile. "Barkhorn, you said there may be some moving about in the shadows yourself. Yes, a small team of say, just the three of us may be able to infiltrate. Even if we were spotted, it's much easier to face an enemy in closed quarters with three of us than on the field."

"You're very right, Gallian," Barkhorn matched their smiles. "Plus, those Elite Blackguards... if they're operating from Dunkelheit their collective hearts will be there. Destroy them, and those Blackguards are done for. I'm not afraid of any regular Gallian men, and if anything we may be able to convince them to lay down their arms if Jaeger Kunze is slain. You hear stories out of Gallia, of how the fields only give shriveled, rotted food that's barely enough to keep a man alive. My knights spread rumors of how food is the big motivator for the Blackguards to try and raid Karlsland. They'd risk dying to us for a chance to steal our bread and wine. So, they may give up the fight if promised food and drink back in Karlsland. I'd give them a chance to take up a sword, sickle, or hammer for Karlsland."

"How soon can we leave?" Perrine asked them. "There is little planning we can do without seeing Dunkelheit from a distance. It will be a monumental challenge finding a way in though."

"Don't be so sure about that," Eila smirked and leaned down to pick up her fox by the scruff. She held it close to her, and the little animal wagged its tail affectionately. "Patrols on the ramparts keep an eye out for pesky witches, but do they sound the alarm for cute little foxes? I can see through her eyes if I wish."

"That's perfect then!" Barkhorn made a fist and outstretched it to the other two. "We'll rest well tonight, prepare in the morning, and set off. Dunkelheit is about a week's journey on foot, and we're certainly not going on horseback as the enemy would be alerted to our presence much easier."

Perrine put her hand over Barkhorn's fist and nodded, then spoke with a new cheer in her voice, "Then together we'll go! For my father, for your sister, and for Eila's dearest friend."

Eila put her pale hand over theirs and nodded as well, "We'll bring them back or perish trying."

Barkhorn made one last nod and said, "And let it be known, no matter what happens, _Jaeger Kunze muss sterben_!"

**47**

Dawn broke upon the war camp, and the three witches that were set for Dunkelheit managed to rest easy. A clear goal was in their minds, and a new confidence and hope burned in their hearts. They were to travel west into whatever was left of Gallia to find Dunkelheit, somehow infiltrate it, kill Jaeger Kunze, and bring their loved ones back. It was a monumental task, but the thought of failure had not crossed Perrine's mind. She could not have chosen two better companions for this task. Eila's spells and Barkhorn's raw strength complimented her grace and finesse perfectly. Still, they were marching into the maw of the enemy, and countless things could go wrong.

All the witches gathered around a bonfire for breakfast. It was a chilly, foggy morning, and little was said. The word that the three were going to be moving out for Dunkelheit had spread like wildfire when Aurora told Yoshika.

"Dunkelheit, huh?" the older Suom spoke up with a shake of her head and a weary smile. "I knew this journey would drag me by the heels into Hell."

"You thought wrong," Eila replied, passively. "You're not going."

"Like Hell I'm not!" Aurora protested. "I didn't follow you all this way just for you to tell me to stop! Doesn't work like that, Sisko!"

"It's not personal," Perrine interjected with a raise of her hand, all very dignified and ladylike. "None of you are going. Not Lynette with her skill with the bow; not Miyafuji with her healing that has saved my life more than once; and not Erica Hartmann and her phenomenal skill with the sword."

"Sorry, Hartmann," Barkhorn offered her a sheepish smile. "Someone's gotta hold the fort and run this place while I'm gone. I can trust you for a couple weeks alone, can't I?"

"Well it's not your smartest decision..." Erica smiled, leaning back in her seat on a bench. "...but I'll keep this place from falling apart completely."

"So, you're leaving us behind?" Lynette asked. "I understand I suppose... This is your journey now, isn't it? We're all in this to defeat Neuroin, but saving those you care about doesn't involve the rest of us. I don't know much about this Dunkelheit place you're going to, but I will offer my aid if you need it."

"Your skill and character held no sway in this decision," Perrine assured her with a kind smile. "You're as good as warrior as any, but you said it yourself, this does not involve you. We're going to a dangerous place, and if it proves too much I would not want to see all of us perish together. If we do not return in a month, continue the quest without us."

Yoshika spoke up next, trying to sound cheerful, "Just be careful, okay? I'd feel better going with you to make sure your injuries don't overwhelm you, but if you insist that I stay..."

"There are still many wounded knights," Barkhorn told her, "and they need your attention more than we do."

"I'll do my best then!" Yoshika nodded, then stood up to walk before Perrine. She suddenly grabbed the Gallian into a tight hug that caught her off guard. "Be careful, okay? You... you may not like me very much, but you're still dear to me and I can't imagine losing you – any of you."

Perrine blushed at the contact, but hugged her back. In a soft voice, she replied, "My ill will is now water under the bridge. I was bad to you when I had no right to be, and I can only hope you'll accept my apologies for it. You've been a good friend and done nothing but contribute to this company."

"Apology accepted!" Yoshika exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

Lastly, Hartmann stepped forward to Barkhorn and offered her two things, one in each hand: her shield and sword. With that smile on her face, she said, "Take these, Trudie. I know you love _Lionslicer_ and _Bladecatcher_, but you'll need a light in the darkness and something to protect you if I'm not there."

"Not _Dawnbringer,"_ Barkhorn was touched, and accepted the sheathed blade. "I can't even begin to say how much this means to me. The Holy Emperor himself blessed this blade so that God would be with you in every fight. I'm not worthy of such a gift."

Erica pushed it against her, "Yeah, well, I get the feeling God will take your side in this even if you're not the most Godly person I know. Just keep a light in your heart and don't lose yourself. I'm a little afraid for you, Trudie. You have every right to hate Jaeger Kunze, but don't let revenge turn you into something akin to him. I'm giving this to you so you have something special and holy to help keep yourself from getting swallowed up by darkness... and giving you this shield so you don't get your head cut off."

"For your sake, if anyone's, I'll keep this close to my heart and not let revenge consume me," Barkhorn set the sword and shield down beside her and grabbed Hartmann into a close hug that squeezed the breath out of her. "This is goodbye for now, and with any luck I'll have this sword back to you before long. I... I'm not good at this kind of thing, but just in case something happens I just want to, uh... I just want to thank you for being my best friend and putting up with everything I do."

Struggling for breath under Barkhorn's crushing hug, Hartmann breathlessly said, "N-No problem, Trudie! Give 'em hell for me and, _waidmanns heil!_"

"_Waidmanns heil_, Erica," Gertrud said, and let her go.

**To Be Continued...**

_**Author's Note/Commentary**_**- **_That song quoted at the beginning is spectacularly bad-ass but not fitting for this story in anyway save those lines I took. If anything, just play it really loud to piss off your neighbors or play it over the stereo at work to piss of your coworkers. _

_If you want a real song to get you in the mood for the next chapter and the beginning of this story's climax, listen to _Vampira _by the _Devin Townsend Band. _Be prepared for much more of this guy's music too. The music video for this song is arguably the best thing ever made by humans too._

_Also, Lynette's song is the poem _Jerusalem_ by William Blake if you were wondering._


	15. Perrine Returns to Gallia

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Perrine Returns to Gallia**

_"Night, follows me when you're gone.  
And now...how am I to carry on?  
But into the night...  
...into the darkness  
I must be strong, carrying on._"

-Vampira_ by _The Devin Townsend Band

**48**

Donned in black and sticking to the shadows, three travelers made their way west into Gallia from Karlsland across the Rhine. They kept off anything resembling a road or passage, and trudged through the forests with no map. Leading them was Gertrud Barkhorn, blazing a trail for the other two as they marched west. She wore a black surcoat and hooded cloak over her tunic of mail, and on her back was a featureless wooden kite shield. At her belt was a brilliant looking sheathed sword with a cross on the pommel.

Behind her was Perrine in similar attire although with no hood with her cloak, and no mail armor beneath. Walking behind them – barefoot without a care for the rough twigs, rocks, and uneven ground – was Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen. Like the other two she wore black to try to pass off as the enemy were they spotted. She insisted on the black dress she had worn at Buccaneer's Inn months ago. It gave her the appearance of an eerie enchantress (which was not far off). A fell wind was blowing eastwards, constantly picking up Eila's hair to make her seem even more otherworldly.

They spoke little as they passed through the birch forest, and the land around them seemed unnaturally still. There was hardly a chirp of a bird, or a rustle of leaves despite the wind. Night fell and the three found a bald hill to make camp on. They brought enough supplies for an extended journey, and Barkhorn shouldered it all far easier than even Aurora had been able to. They made a small fire, feeling they were secluded enough in the forest not to draw attention. A story was brainstormed about what to say if they were spotted and woefully outnumbered: they were Blackguards from Romagna on a journey to Paris. While they did not fear a battle, they were fearful that a single man could break away and warn Kunze of their coming.

Perrine sat by the small fire and gazed westward from the vantage point on the hill. The sun was setting, and the horizon had a blood red glow to it. Soon they would be in the Gallia proper, a land tainted and ravaged by Neuroin and the dark magics he commanded. After eleven years, her journey had finally come full circle. She was returning to Gallia now, although under circumstances she did not expect. In her mind previously, she saw herself as the hero saving the people of Paris and striking down Neuroin.

"There's a different kind of magic out here," Eila spoke for the first time in many hours. She seemed to sniff the air deliberately like a dog, and patted her fox as it sat in her lap. "It reminds me of Suomus, back when I first met you, Perrine. It's the kind of magic that draws creatures and mystical beings you seldom see these days. Like trolls, for instance."

Barkhorn snorted, shaking her head, "Trolls? Don't tell me you believe in such nonsense."

"Months ago I would have said I did not," Perrine answered, chuckling as she remembered her time in Suomus. She remembered trying to invoke her status as a Gallian noble to get the trolls to let her go. How naïve she had been back then. "They exist though, and they're not quite friendly towards us witches."

The knight shook her head in disbelief, "I still don't believe it. What were you saying, Suom? About this land here?"

Eila continued her thought, "I'm saying if there was ever a place to come across spiritfolk, monsters, whatever, this would be it."

"What?" Barkhorn cocked an eyebrow. "Like dragons?"

"Dragons?" Eila laughed, and waved her hand in dismissal. "Now _you're _being silly. This isn't dragon country at all! No, no, I mean like spirits, fae, trolls, all the creatures of the forests and mountains! They're not all like the trolls who thought Perrine made good kindling. Me and Sanya have met friendly types too!"

"You... _met_ them?" Barkhorn stared at Eila incredulously.

Eila nodded eagerly, "Mhm! Me and Sanya did, back... oh, how long ago was it? Eight years ago? Yeah, I was eight and she was five and we were out playing over a frozen lake near the Urals where my family lived at the time. We-"

"You were playing out on a frozen lake?" Barkhorn interrupted. "Where were your parents? What kind of discipline is that!?"

"Like you're one to talk," Eila teased her. "Let me finish my story or I'll tell Perrine all about your mischief as a kid. A frozen lake may sound frightening to you, but at least we weren't teasing some poor old-"

"How... how do you know about my childhood!?" Gertrud gasped, face turning a shade of red.

Eila simply shrugged, continuing to pet her familiar, "I can tell things about someone just from looking at them."

"Yeah, well keep your pagan trickery to yourself from now on!" The Karlslander was visibly unnerved.

"I'm inclined to take Barkhorn's side in this matter," Perrine muttered.

The wizard chuckled at them, and continued her story, "We came to the roots of the mountains in the morning and spotted a dark and deep furrow there. I looked over the side and saw it went very deep into the earth. It wasn't very wide, but it looked easy to climb down. Sanya was frightened, but I took her hand and told her to be brave and come with me to see what was down below. I was a stupid kid, but Suomus is a magical place. I tried to climb down into that abyss there with Sanya, but we quickly lost our footing and fell into the darkness. It was a magical feeling. We were falling but we weren't afraid at all.

"We didn't hit any ground, but instead seemed to fall _out_ up another furrow somewhere else on the mountain. It was night instead of morning though, and stars were very colorful. We saw a group of people dancing and singing around a bonfire. They weren't normal people though, some had the heads of animals but still we weren't frightened. They invited us to sing and dance with them, and we did. We knew the words to their songs, like they were part of old memories we had forgotten somehow; it was like remembering something that happened in your ancestor's life. It felt like we were there for a long time, but at the same time it felt like we were there for only a moment. Things got blurry, and the next thing I remembered was my sister waking the two of us up from under a great fir tree where we were sleeping."

Barkhorn spoke up then, "So? It sounds like you're mistaking a dream for reality. Surely you must realize that."

"I thought you would say something like that," Eila smiled, raising a finger. "Now just how could Sanya and I have the same dream at once? We had so many little adventures like that together as children." She sighed, and lowered her head, looking down at the fox. "I was always the hero in our games, and she was the damsel in distress. As a child, I thought an adventure where I had to rescue her from some danger – not any _real_ danger – would be the grandest thing ever. Now that it's a reality..."

The campfire between the three of them suddenly coughed a bout of whitish fire.

"That's enough," Perrine said with a firm voice. "Let's try to get some rest without burning this forest down. We move at first light."

The fire dimmed, and Eila eyed Perrine with a hint of amusement in her eyes. It was warm enough to sleep on bedrolls under the open stars, and the three did so. Eila's pet fox was there to keep a light watch, as any noise would rouse the small animal. Barkhorn noticed the expression on Eila's face, and the sort of gentle expression Perrine gave back. She didn't understand how they could be so laid back and relaxed at a time like this. She knew little about the relationship the two shared, only that it went deeper than met the eye.

Gertrud lay awake for a while, her mind ablaze with thoughts of her younger sister. The seed of doubt was planted, and she couldn't help but wonder, _What if we can't get her back?_

It was heartbreaking just to think everything she had fought for five-six years ago would have been in vain. She had rode so hard to keep Chris safe, and she'd been snatched while Gertrud was away. Even with so much going through her head, falling asleep did not take much effort. Her mind drifted wildly, recalling scenes from her memories.

She remembered riding near where she had grown up after wandering about Karlsland near aimlessly for years with Sleipnir and Chris. She kept searching for some sign of their family, some word that they had made it out okay. That search had been fruitless; there were too many people scattered across Karlsland for her to find two out of the tens of thousands. The knights and armies of Karlsland had begun to rally together and beat back the invaders across their land, but stragglers were common. The Dark Ones sensed Gertrud was a witch and hunted her, even at such a young age.

God, where had they been? Southwest of Kaiserberg, near some witches trying to go into hiding amidst the chaos. Things had been dying down, but a contingent of Dark Ones were making their way to hunt an enclave of young witches. Gertrud had inadvertently ridden into the enemy, soon inviting a kill team of Neuroin's forces on her. Multiple sharp-shooters, countless skirmishers. Things became more interesting as a group of local knights headed by a witch-captain also intercepted the Dark Ones.

At that time, she had heard stories of young witches being forcefully recruited into knight ranks, or had their magic used in a variety of non-consensual ways. This included being used as Dark One bait, depending on how ruthless their captors were. Gertrud was not going to risk evading one enemy just to be forced by her countrymen to fight them while having Chris taken away from her. The clash of Dark Ones and knights provided a distraction, and she headed towards Kaiserberg through the woods. Kaiserberg had once been their home, and they had last been there months prior with no sign of their family. Gertrud wanted to return there both to resupply and avoid the fighting, and possibly to double check if their family had returned.

Some of the Dark Ones had broken away from the fight to pursue the young witch. She ordered Chris to take their faithful steed, Sliepnir, and ride full speed to Kaiserberg. Chris was still so young, but her time on the road and with Sliepnir was enough to get her to safety since their destination was a straight shot down the road. Gertrud had taken her battleworn sword, and made a stand to hold them off. Even barely a teenager, her magical strength let her blade shatter skirmishers into a thousand fragments. As offensive as a fighter as she was now, she was worse as a child. Beating back a dozen skirmishers left her with several gashes across her body, tearing and bloodying her clothes.

She stood in a forest lane, stained red with her own blood and holding her sword up, ready to hold back anything to assure her sister's safe passage. The spirit was willing, but the body failed her when more enemies launched themselves at her. Skirmishers fell to her beaten and worn sword, finally causing it to shatter as she beat one hard into the ground. It was a bolt from a sharp-shooter she hadn't seen that nearly did her in. Pain exploded all around her backside as shrapnel embedded itself into her. Gertrud remembered screaming out and falling face first into the mud, nearly suffocating as she struggled just to get herself on her side. She remembered thinking, "_Well this is it, I'm gonna die, huh?_". It was strange to last so long on the road with Chris, just to fall so quickly to some enemy she hadn't even seen. Her mind was swimming then, just sort of patiently waiting for the Dark One to finish her off to make the pain fade away. It hurt too much to think about anything else.

But then something happened; a miracle of absolute luck that made her think it could have only been the work of God himself. Out of the corner of her eye, Gertrud watched the sharp-shooter that had nearly killed her go up in what looked like a fireball. There were splashes as a small handful of people ran through the mud towards her. Three women; a Karlslander with deep red hair; some Fuson with a black eye patch over one eye; and a Romagnan by the look of it.

"Oh, we're not too late are we!?" the Romagnan had frantically asked the other, clearly worried for Gertrud even if she were a stranger. She was a very beautiful woman, with olive skin and black hair and piercing green eyes.

"No, this one is still alive, Lucretia" the Fuson replied, kneeling down and putting a hand on Gertrud's face. Her dark brown eye gave Gertrud a feeling of hope and confidence that was difficult for her to explain. "You're going to be alright, we'll get you to Kaiserberg," she said, and looked over her shoulder up at the red-head, "Minna, get us a horse and wagon. She's hurt bad, but I think she'll make it."

Gertrud remembered being in the back of a wagon amidst spare equipment; swords, shields and the like. She remembered staring up at the sky, hurting and bleeding, and wondering just where her sister was. The urge to ask if they had seen a girl matching her description rose, but she couldn't bring herself to speak. She just wanted to sleep or die; either one of those would have done. The three witches that saved her spoke back and forth in English, and she had trouble understanding them. Her knowledge of English was fleeting at best, but she picked up bits and pieces. The Romagnan seemed excited to be going home to see her young daughter, Fran-something; and the Fuson and other Karlslander were telling her that they weren't quite done in Karlsland with whatever their mission was.

She faded out of consciousness and fell into a deep sleep filled with dreams. Gertrud remembered dreaming of riding free on the northern plains of Karlsland, without having to worry about any enemy. She dreamed of running barefoot in the grass with her little sister, and training her to use a sword. In her dream, it was recreational. There was no real reason to teach her swordplay for there was no danger in that world. It was a world where she could have taken back all her angst and griping about having a little sister back when life was simple. She wanted nothing more, _still_ wanted nothing more years later to relive those days and be the best big sister possible.

When she awoke, she was in bed. It was a soft feather mattress with heavy quilts. It was evening, and hard to make out the features of the room she was in. Her wounds were heavily bandaged, and they itched and throbbed beneath. The quilt that covered her was familiar, like something from a different life. It took a moment for her to realize it, but it was the quilt from her old bed before they had been forcefully removed from home. What did that mean? This was not her old home, but it had one of the commodities of it. Outside it was raining, and the drizzling drops worked to put her back to sleep.

Morning came, and a firm, but gentle hand woke her by shaking her shoulder. "_Trude_," a familiar and warm voice called to her. "_Trude, can you hear me?_"

Her eyes flickered open, and looking down at her was the weathered and tired face of her mother. Ignoring all the pain and stiffness she felt, she jumped into a sitting position and squeezed her mother into a tight hug. She cried openly, babbling and blathering as she tried to say a million things at once. She tried to say how much she had missed her; she tried to ask if Chris was okay; and she tried to apologize for being such a brat before. It all came out as a jumble, and her other could do little more than tell her to stop squeezing so tight.

Slowly, her mother explained what Barkhorn had not been awake for. Three older and veteran witches had saved her, and her diversion had been successful. Chris had ridden into town, scared and confused but was able to tell the local guards her older sister's name. One of them recognized the surname, Barkhorn; he knew a wedded couple missing their two daughters. There had been a very happy reunion between parents and child, but much anxiety over Gertrud. She had not returned and there was word of intense fighting nearby. When the witches returned, they brought with them the battered and bloodied body of the young witch. Gertrud's mother took her home and cared for her personally. She had worked a volunteer field physician before and knew first aid. Gertrud was hurt terribly, but not mortally.

Gertrud remembered eating dinner in bandages in a new dining room. This was her family's new home. Nothing would ever be the same now. She sat beside her sister, eating stew she would have complained about before all this had happened. At that moment, it was the greatest thing she had ever tasted and she wolfed it down eagerly, asking for seconds and thirds. None of them said anything until after dinner.

Gertrud helped her mother with the dishes, making awkward and what felt like forced conversation about how it was in Kaiserberg, who was missing, and who may have been dead. Afterwards, her father pulled her aside alone and said, "_I'm sorry I left. The moment I learned that our town was attacked I wished more than anything I could have stayed. I... I can't even begin to ask for your forgiveness. All I can say is that I don't think a father could be more proud of his child. You... God in Heaven I don't even know what to say I'm so impressed. You took care of Chris by yourself; you taught yourself how to ride and fight, and you brought her back. Gertrud, words simply fail me. You're... you're nothing short of a hero to this family_."

"_I did what I had to do_," Gertrud remembered muttering stupidly. Her father had never praised her like that before.

"_And... will you continue to do so?_"

She swallowed hard and nodded. She knew what was coming next, and it was hard.

"_Yes. I'm a witch, Father,_" she had replied.

"_The witches who saved you were impressed. They said, with my permission, they would like to train you further. They said they need good girls like you, and that you're knight material._"

Gertrud remembered going to pack to leave, wondering if she'd get along with the other witches, and realizing she had nothing to pack. All she knew was she couldn't stay home. All she had wanted throughout her wandering with Chris was to be home, and now that she was back she wanted to ride again and feel the wind in her face. She wanted her enemy to pay, and to know that no Karlslander would have to go through what she had done.

She remembered hugging Chris tight and saying, "_Don't cry, I'll come visit when I can and write every month!_"

"_You won't forget me, right, Sis?_" Chris had whimpered and tugged at her sister's tunic. Gertrud had knelt down and ruffled her hair, thinking on how much alike they were starting to look.

"_Not in a million years, Chris. I'm going to be a knight, you know. You can go to sleep every night now knowing that no matter what happens; no matter what danger comes; you'll have a big sister who's your knight in shining armor_."

She awoke in Gallia beside a fire that was now nothing more than smoldering coals. The horizon was red towards their destination, and the air was bitterly cold. She hugged her knees and silently wept. She had given her word as a knight that she would protect her little sister, and now Chris was in the clutches of what was literally the single vilest monster on Earth. There were still hours until dawn, but Barkhorn wasn't content with waiting around. Every second precious now. She wiped away her tears and began breaking camp and waking the others.

It was time to move.

**49**

The three had moved throughout the day through the eastern forests of Gallia. Eila's fox found the way, and was only distracted occasionally by particularly fierce looking frogs or birds. The trees around them were sad, tall birch trees with the occasional looming oak. Perrine remembered the green birch forests of Gallia from when she was a little girl. They grew around her home, and had been so majestic and magical. What was around her now was magical, certainly, but held no majesty; only sorrow. Above them, the sky was red, somehow changed by the foulest of magics by the devil that resided over Paris.

"The forests, the plants, the people," Perrine broke the silence, "I wonder what can be saved any longer. What can killing Neuroin do when the very land is ill and dying around me?"

"Plants grow back," Barkhorn replied, swatting away a branch that had snagged her coat, "and people move on. We've had our cities burned to the ground in Karlsland, our people slaughtered and raped, but we never backed down. Even if it takes a lifetime, all of this can be undone."

"It puts my entire journey in perspective," Perrine solemnly commented, looking forward as her blonde hair bounced on her shoulders with every step. "This whole time I've been fighting, I've been thinking that once Neuroin was defeated I would just return to what my life was like before Gallia fell. It's funny, I hardly remember any of it, of what it was like. I think what I'm really fighting for is a Gallia for my children, my countrymen's children."

"Plan to start a family?" Eila asked, walking along side Perrine. On her other side, her black fox was playfully bounding along.

Perrine shrugged, it was something she had never really thought about. "I don't have plans, no," she answered, "but the idea of raising a family has an appeal to it. I've always liked children. Hmm, what about you Eila, what do you plan to do when this is over?"

"Sauna," Eila answered right away, resting her hands behind her head. "That's my real short wish. If you're asking about my future plans, I don't really know. I want to study magic more, but it's gonna be hard with how scattered and broken the wizard orders are. I guess as long as I'm with Sanya, it doesn't matter what I'm doing."

"What about your parents?" Perrine asked her. "Don't you want to see them again?"

Eila tilted her head for a moment in confusion, "Huh? My parents are dead. Didn't you know?"

"No," Perrine answered right away, a bout of confusion washing over her. She remembered specifically Eila and her sister saying they were still alive. "Back when we first met, in that city in Suomus. You and Aurora said your parents were just missing, not dead."

"Did I say that?" Eila put her finger on chin, looking like she was thinking back. "No, I just said we didn't see much of them anymore. So, I was only half-lying. I guess we didn't really trust you all that much back then, and you didn't trust us so we weren't really keen about giving out personal details."

"I understand," Perrine nodded. It was strange, she felt like earlier that year something like this would have offended her. She meant what she said, she did understand how those two must have felt back then. They had not wanted to work with one another at all. "You have my sympathy, Eila. Until just recently you know I thought myself to be an orphan."

"It's different though," Eila told her as they continued to walk. Barkhorn was behind them a bit, silently listening to their conversation. "You grew up as an orphan, with Sakamoto raising you. I was ten when my parents died. You can take a guess what happened. Mom was a witch, Dad a mercenary just like Aurora."

"I'm so sorry," the Gallian put a hand on Eila's shoulder. Eila lowered her head slightly and put her hand over Perrine's. Without even realizing it, they began holding hands.

"I was a bratty little kid, and I don't think I even realized just what was happening," the wizard spoke, really opening up to Perrine for the first time. "My wizarding trials were going to start, and I was too excited for that to even care that my parents were dead. Mom never wanted me to be a wizard, and instead wanted me to work on the family farm and find a nice husband. I barely remember Dad at all, just that him and Aurora fought a lot. I... I was actually frightened of him, and just tried to keep out of his shadow. He drank a lot, and would get pissed at the drop of a hat. I remember him doing things like slamming Aurora against the wall if she didn't do her chores right, always hitting her around. I saw some other things, but I don't wanna talk about it... it was disgusting."

Behind them, Barkhorn lowered her head in what seemed like shame.

"Sakamoto was hard on me," Perrine commented, and took a moment to consider Eila's story. "It was very different though. She wanted me to be strong, and looking back it was really just tough love. What your father did doesn't sound like tough love at all. It sounds like abuse."

"It was!" Eila exclaimed, a sudden flare of white fire bursting from her fingertips. Perrine jumped away and Barkhorn stumbled, tripping over her own feet in surprise. The wizard quickly composed herself as her fox dashed away to hide in some brambles. "Sorry, last thing I need to do is give Kunze a giant forest fire to show us where we are."

"Yes, that would be counterproductive," Perrine sighed in relief as Eila calmed down.

Barkhorn finally spoke up again, stepping forward to walk alongside her companions, "Eila, just what is Sanya to you? Family? Or just a very close friend."

"Both," Eila answered, voice lowering slightly. "Her and I never really had it easy. Our parents were friends, which is how we met, and both her parents were always too busy for her. They were wealthy, always doing stuff with their rich friends and trying to maintain social appearances. A daughter sort of got in the way of that, and it was always, 'Alexsandra this!' and 'Alexsandra that!' forcing her to be all prim and proper even when she was a little girl. I forget why 'Sanya' became her nickname... it just did after a while when she was staying with our family. Her parents always sent her to stay with us so she'd be out of their hair. Mom was always working hard with the chores on our farm, and Dad was too busy getting drunk and feeling up other women to care about any of us. Aurora was barely around either, so it was really just me and Sanya. She's my little sister, my little baby-boo and best friend and an angel. Aurora's a sweet thing when she wants to be, but when I was growing up it was just me and Sanya to take care of each other emotionally. When Aurora was about my age, she stormed off to join a bunch of mercenary witches, saying stuff like, 'Anywhere is better than here!'. That was really hard on me, because I was only about seven or eight and looked up to my sister a lot. Sanya was just a little girl, but she was there for me more than my parents were."

"Sanya sounds like a beautiful person, both inside and out," Barkhorn smiled, resting a hand on Eila's other shoulder so that both her and Perrine were touching the wizard. "I wish I could say my relationship with my little sister, Chris, was all sunshine and roses. I was a bratty little twerp and hated her when she was a baby. I love her more than anything now, and..." she shook her head and laughed, "...oh that man is going to pay. He's going to pay so badly."

Eila smirked at Barkhorn's bloodlust, and chuckled, "I guess we can flip a coin over who gets the first punch."

Perrine lowered her hand to her side again and commented, "We're doing the entire world a favor by ending his existence. The way he took something from me I didn't even know I had is frighteningly impressive. Though, I must admit I'm a little nervous to confront my father."

"How come?" Eila asked.

"I don't know what to say," Perrine answered. "He's a man I really know nothing about, and I wouldn't know where to begin mending our relationship... or even if such a thing is possible. I want to ask him about my mother, and her relationship with Sakamoto. I've learned over my journey that they had been dear friends... but if that is the case, why did Sakamoto never speak of her?"

"Who knows?" Barkhorn shrugged, returning her own hands to her sides as well. "Fusons are strange people; their culture entirely senseless compared to us fair-skinned Europeans."

"No," Perrine shook her head. "It has nothing to do with race, Barkhorn. It's something you couldn't understand without meeting her. It may also be something I can only learn through my father, once he's safe again." Perrine's amber eyes gazed upwards at the red sky and she considered the breeze that tussled her hair. This was Gallia, her homeland, and not once in her journey did she feel more like she was in a dangerous place. Even Suomus, so strange and mystical, had not felt so overwhelmingly evil. "Back to our conversation moments ago, we didn't ask you, Barkhorn. What will you do when this threat is removed and Karlsland is safe?"

"I'm a knight," she answered with a half-smile and patted the blade at her hip. "I'll go where Karlsland needs me, and even if my magic stops me from being able to rip a man's arm with just a twitch of my wrist, I'm still useful. I can pass on what I know to a younger generation. The skills of riding horseback; my tactical knowledge; swordplay. That's assuming I'm still not riding on the front line until the very end. My duty will end when I fall on the battlefield."

Eila smirked, and crossed her arms, "Aurora says similar stuff, you know. How about she'd rather die on the battlefield than wither away with age. I don't see why anyone would want a preference about how they die. Just live your life, and whatever happens, happens!"

Perrine nodded at that, finding herself agreeing with it, "I've never put much thought towards how I'd like to die, only that I'd rather not. There were times though... times during this journey where I thought, '_This is it, I'm going to die_', and while scared I was accepting of it. I thought that if it was God's plan for me to die there, then I would simply brace myself for his kingdom. Then I began to wonder, why would I be bestowed such an important task to save my people and possibly all of Europe from an objective, monumental evil that stands against all of God and his kingdom just to perish along the way? I've not spoken about this but... I'm starting to become torn."

"Torn?" Barkhorn said.

"Yes, torn between where my faith should lay. Should I march forward feeling as if the winds of heaven are at my back and through prayer I can overcome any obstacle? Or should I revere God with the utmost respect, but at the same time place my faith in my companions and myself and assume we are on our own?"

Eila raised a hand and shook her head, "This the kind of conversation that's gonna have at each other's throats, so let's not really discuss this. It kind of sounds like the beginning of a bad joke: Two Catholics and a pagan walk into Gallia..."

"You don't know me very well," Barkhorn chuckled, and smiled. "I became a knight to protect people and fight back against the Dark Ones. Witches come from all backgrounds and beliefs, and they're vital for this battle. I have about a score of our kind amidst my riders, and half of them come from backwater lands where heathen beliefs still are held in high regard. My knight companions found them disgusting, but I was fascinated by them. They shared me with me their stories, and their old texts filled with legends and lore that were just beautiful. They were confusing as well, because I had grown up with stories in my town that all pagans were devil-worshipers, but these young witches I talked to not only had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned this, but had not even heard of Hell; the Devil; demonic beliefs."

Eila laughed at that earnestly, and patted Barkhorn's shoulder, "Bit of an eye-opener huh? Try to imagine being in my shoes, a little kid who's danced with spiritfolk and has seen all this beautiful magic. Then I'm accused of doing these just absolutely heinous things with Satan and his minions or whatever."

Perrine glared at her a bit incredulously, "Has that really happened?"

The wizard laughed again, "It has! It was in Moscow when I was maybe eight or nine, and I was making some straw doll just to pass the time while my parents were doing something. I was waiting outside with Aurora, and some preacher man sees me doing this and just explodes. He's crying out that me, some little girl, is making a doll to burn which will somehow burn someone else as a sacrifice to Satan so he can come alive and I can, uh... well I'll spare you the details on what else he thought was going to happen."

"Please," Barkhorn grimaced.

"Disgusting lout," Perrine huffed, doing her best to block out the image of an older fellow masquerading as a man of God describing devious things to a child. Perrine also realized that Eila was now really opening up to her, and by proxy their new companion. It was a very stark change from how much the two of them had distrusted Barkhorn. They didn't see that arrogant, snooty knight that bullied Aurora anymore, but instead a driven girl risking it all to save her little sister. Perrine could respect that, and there was nothing better than working alongside respectable and competent allies.

They kept walking, and Eila began telling another story, one of how she swore she met a talking swan who made trips between their world and the land of the dead; and how for a pound of gold it'd talk to dead ancestors for her. That somehow in turn lead to Barkhorn telling a story of a prank her and some kids played on a grouchy, elderly man. For a few hours, the tension was eased and they were even laughing. The excitement tapered off and again they walked silently, following the lead of Eila and her fox as they stealthily traversed woodland.

An abandoned farmhouse provided them shelter and cover for the night, and they were able to rest much easier. A dim fire was lit, and Perrine fell asleep easily, weary from the day's journey. Before she fell asleep, she thought a lot about Eila. They had really come a long way from the forest of Suomus where they met. She thought about that first meeting, and how hard she had tried to impress Eila with her fancy speech and reciting the fact that she was noble-born. She remembered that snowball fight in the snow, the arguments in Folkestone, their battle against the other wizard, their teamwork on the plains. She remembered those early days where the two of them would glare daggers at one another whenever their eyes accidentally met. Now, the only things exchanged were reassuring smiles. Even the wizard's speech and some aspects of her personality had rubbed off on Perrine. Perrine was a lot slower to judge than she had been before, and spoke quieter, far more casually and gentler.

Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen was her best friend, Perrine realized with some amazement. She trusted the wizard with her life, and felt like she could confide just about anything to her. Part of her knew that Eila was beginning to feel the same way. When Perrine fell asleep, there was a soft smile on her face.

They were diving into the lungs of Hell, but it was easier with her best friend at her side.

**To Be Continued**

_**Author's Note/Commentary**- Eila's campfire story about her past is based around the _Finntroll_ song _Under Bergets Rot (_Under Mountains Root)_. _I actually had the thrill of seeing this band live two days prior to writing this (in early December). The upbeat folky, but kind of spooky tone fits Eila pretty well I think. That concert also has the distinction of being the only show out of the nine or so I've been to that had a wall of death. If you don't know what that is, look it up. I'm surprised I didn't die. The song we did the wall of death to was _Skogsdotter. _Why am I sharing this? Because I love music so goddamned fucking much and I write these author's notes drunk._

_Speaking of music, the theme for this chapter is _Burzum's Dunkelheit_. _


	16. Across the Dark

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Across the Dark**

"_I will always remember their cries  
Like a shadow which covers the light  
I will always remember the time  
But it's past  
I cannot turn back the time  
I don't look back  
There's still smoke near the shore  
But I arrived  
REVENGE BE MINE_

_I will take part in your damned fate!_"

-_The Curse of Fëanor _by _Blind Guardian_

**50**

Sanya was the type of girl who had always thought that things had a way of working themselves out. She always believed wholeheartedly that everything would turn out alright; that no matter what happened, a new day would rise. When a frightening situation occurred, she always had Eila there to keep her safe and comfort her. Eila had always had a way of figuring things out, and keeping the two of them out of harm's way. Sanya oftentimes looked back after a battle and smiled, reassuring herself that there had been never anything to be afraid of in the first place. As long as Eila was at her side, there was nothing to be afraid of.

Eila was not with her though. Sanya was alone in a small, dark room with just a candle for illumination. She sat, hugging her knees, atop a feather mattress that may have been comfortable under better circumstances. There was no comfort at all. Sanya was cold, humiliated, and utterly terrified of what Kunze would do to her. On the way there, he had commented over and over again on how she was beautiful like an angel. She couldn't get a specific image out of her head; the image of a girl who had been taken by Kunze some years ago. The girl had been Sanya's age, and she couldn't forget those sad, broken and empty eyes. Sanya's mind couldn't not come to terms with what was possibly going to happen to her. The idea was so terrifying, so absolutely horrible she blocked it out entirely.

To make it all worse, Kunze had ordered her stripped down, claiming she could be hiding weapons or the like. They had just arrived to Dunkelheit, and the female officers held her down and stripped her naked before so many eyes. God, _his_ eyes had been the worst. He had a smirk on his face as he had licked his lips and ordered her to be taken below. Now there she was, occasionally being brought food and water by female officers. She had spent most of her day and a half in captivity hugging her knees and crying, just wishing for this all to be over. Sanya was terrified her friends would think her disgusting and impure after being exposed naked like that to so many strangers. Nothing in her life had been so overwhelmingly awful. Surely death had to be better than this.

What kept her going was the slowly waning hope that Eila was coming to rescue her. She knew no threats, no matter how genuine, would deter Eila from coming for her. Threats couldn't stop her, but Dunkelheit could. It was worse than she had imagined, the defenses the place had. To her, it was a literal outpost of Hell, armed to fill that role quite properly. As wonderful, smart, and capable as Eila was, she'd need an army to breach the walls, and if Jaeger Kunze saw an army coming, it would spell disaster for her and the other two prisoners.

The three of them had been taken to separate holding locations, and Sanya had seen no sign of either of the two. She feared for both of them, as neither of their outlooks seemed very bright. While she was stuck in her own personal hell, she could take the smallest possible amount of comfort knowing that Kunze did not want her harmed. Trist though? Even if he was Perrine's father, he was a blackguard traitor and of no long term use. Gertrud Barkhorn's younger sister, the poor little thing, was a hostage to Kunze to bend Gertrud to his liking. Once her usefulness was spent, what would happen to her? Sanya didn't know, but something told her she wouldn't be just sent home.

Sanya jumped in surprise and fear as she heard the door to her cell being unlocked. She was hoping it was going to be one of the female Blackguards, the ones who muttered sad words in Gallian she couldn't understand. It was almost like they were apologizing to her for being in that state.

Her fears were realized when her grand captor stepped forward. Jaeger Kunze, adorned in his black armor with its wicked sheen. Parts of it glowed red, especially on the back where he could conjure crimson wings of fire. It made him seem like he was wearing one of the Dark Ones as protection; and chances were he was. On his face was what Sanya supposed was a friendly smile, but all it did was make her feel even more helpless and scared. She scurried backwards until she was in the corner, hugging her knees and desperately trying to cover herself from him.

"It's sad that you shy from me so," Jaeger Kunze said. His boots sounded loudly against the ground beneath as he stepped over near Sanya. He rested against the wall beside where she cowered from him. Instantly, Sanya scrambled over to the far corner, away from him. Kunze only found this amusing, giving a sly chuckle as he leaned against the wall behind him. From the back of his armor, waves of red lapped against the stone like liquid fire devoid of heat. They were glowing vestiges of unnatural wings the greatest of the Blackguards were gifted with. The gentle force of them caused his black cape to flutter slightly.

Through all the fear, embarrassment, and humiliation, Sanya managed to whimper out, "Wh-what... what do you want with me?"

Before answering, he undid the clasp of his cape around his neck and removed it. Kunze tossed the black garment to Sanya, and nodded at her, "It's warm, and I apologize for the predicament you've been placed in."

Sanya didn't believe that, she was sure he was enjoying seeing her like that immensely. Still, she covered herself with the cape, and found it was indeed warm; thick as well almost like a blanket. She hated how it brought comfort.

Kunze continued, "I wanted better conditions for you, but protocol for how we deal with witches cannot be changed. As much as I explained that your magic is harmless, the higher-ups... no, that should not be plural; my _lord_ Neuroin has insisted that you are treated like any other witch. Now, to your question... what do I want with you? That is a good question indeed."  
Sanya turned her head away from him, staring at the ground. She whispered, "Eila's not going to be happy about this... You won't like her when she's upset."

"No, I suppose I would not," the man seemed to find that amusing. "She's young, but that makes her more temperamental, doesn't it? A temperamental wizard is a frightening thing to behold, but in the end, it really makes no difference. All the raging wizards in the world could not storm Dunkelheit and survive. Don't see this as the end, I am sure you will see your friend again under better circumstances. If you cooperate with me, I think you'll find that I can offer you much more than anyone else can."

"I don't want anything you have to offer."

"And you answer so soon!" Kunze laughed and shook his head, resting his hand against it. "Would it not be worth at least knowing the bargain? Do you know that witches aren't all just executed? My sister is a witch, you know. Or was, at least, there are no twenty-five year old witches as you know."

"Y-Your sister?" Sanya looked up at him again, not sure what to make of this. A pang of fresh anxiety washed over her. She was afraid of what he was going to say next. Part of her want to him to say how his sister was very dear to him, and she was a kind, loving soul. Something to make him seem less like a monster. Something to ease Sanya's own fears.

He nodded, "Liita Kunze, my little sister, fifteen years younger than I. She was an angel, an absolute angel you would have probably called a friend had you met her when she was your age. Liita was a lot like you, snowy hair and green eyes. Her magic... God, her magic was unlike any other spell in this world! Neuroin can replicate every witch spell but hers. She could sing, Aleksandra, she could sing in such an angelic, wonderful voice that it would melt the urge to fight from men's hearts."

There was passion in his voice, real passion as he talked about someone he had loved. Yet, Sanya didn't feel any better. There was something sinister about all of this, but Sanya was not sure what.

So he continued, "She was the most beautiful of all the songbirds, a porcelain angel that could make the strongest of warriors weep with her song. Nobody loved her more than I, and even if she was my sister, and even if I were fifteen years her senior, I wanted to be hers. The world was a different place then, even just twelve years ago. Karlsland, our homeland, was a mess of war and we were still cracking down on the last of the rebellion factions in Gallia; still fresh from our takeover. Neuroin valued me then, even at my younger age, as I have a brilliant mind for strategy on a large scale. I led the hunt against witches in Karlsland, as I am quite good at this, but what I feared the most was that my Liita would be taken from me. The war had me busy, and I could not attend to her safety personally. So I called out for my soldiers to bring a girl matching her description to me once she were found. If she was harmed, there would be repercussions."

Sanya listened, biting her lower lip the whole time, not entirely sure what to feel. A dark thought was beginning to take root in her mind. It wondered... was she a replacement for Liita?

"A year of searching eventually brought her to me in Paris, where I was aiding Neuroin in keeping order in Gallia and Karlsland. Little Liita, so beautiful and fragile with her angelic song..."

He paused and slammed his fist into the wall behind him, hard enough to crack stone. Sanya flinched in surprise and cowered back, hiding beneath the cloak.

"I did not mean to frighten you," Kunze sighed dejectedly, and slumped against the wall to rest on the floor. There was genuine sorrow on his face as he recalled old memories, "Despite my warnings, the Blackguards who found her decided that the journey back with her would have been boring if they did not help themselves to a little fun. How many times had she been raped? I had decided I would make them suffer tenfold for every time they had their 'fun' with her, and God would stay my hand once justice had been administered. I'll never know just how many times she had been violated, as they died not long after I began my retribution. They died screaming, which was almost as sweet as Liita's song."

Sanya listened, but she didn't understand. In a weak voice, she projected her confusion verbally, "I... I don't understand... what does this have to do with me?"

"And so we get to the center of all of this," the sorrow that Kunze had worn during his story had faded. "Liita's story is tragic, Aleksandra. When she was brought to me, she was silent, catatonic for years. Eventually she began to speak again, but her song was gone. All that was left were angry, hateful words. She blamed me for what had happened, spat on my face for siding with Neuroin; rejecting the love I so desperately wanted to share. The irony of it all is when offered, she became a Blackguard as well. She's a captain somewhere, I'm not sure, Romagna maybe. They called her the _Silver-haired Succubus_; a black-hearted temptress who hates men and has a vice for young women."

The two were not so different, Sanya thought. Had Jaeger himself been a carefree, young and innocent boy as well at some point? It was hard to imagine.

"I saw you through the eyes of one of the Neuroi," Kunze began to get to the point in all of this. "The Neuroi come in many forms, as you know, some that you've never heard of and never seen. Small forms, like birds that make adequate spies. Through them, I saw you wandering the forests of Suomus, and could not believe it. You are the reincarnation of her, don't you see!?"

"W-Wha..." Sanya was speechless.

"Yes!" Kunze laughed, standing up and slowly stepping towards Sanya. "My angel! The Liita I had lost, but just with a different name. I saw you and knew I had been given a second chance to redeem myself!" He bent down before her, and placed his cold, gloved hand against her face. Sanya winced, and turned her head, feeling tears start to form. "They won't break you this time, my angel. We'll be together!"

He put his other hand on her other cheek to turn her head to face him. The smile on his face could only be described as fiendish. There was a look of pure, insane excitement in his eyes. Sanya realized then just how detached from reality this monster was. Whatever benefit of the doubt she was considering giving him was entirely gone now; dead and buried. Tears were streaming down Sanya's face, her heart was beating erratically, and the only thoughts in her head were prayers that Eila was coming soon... and that she would make it in time before-

It happened so suddenly, he was leaning in to do something... kiss her maybe? The sheer thought of that was enough to trigger Sanya's gag reflex. His face was so close to hers, and his hands stopped her from turning away. The door to the room opened and in stepped Jaeger Kunze's captain, Desmond. He was an older, gray-haired man with his long hair tied back in a very straight ponytail. Looking down at them, he gave a very genuine frown and muttered, "Sorry to interrupt your... err, entertainment, General, but we have problems."

Kunze stood up, growling through his teeth, "It better be worth this interruption!"

"One of our patrols found three dead blackguards out in the hills; throats slit while they were watching the hills. Just give the word and I'll mobilize a force to start searching the hills for whoever did this."

In a lash of anger, Kunze slammed his fist against a wall again, once more cracking stone. "Damn it!" he shouted. "It's them, isn't it!? Yes! Mobilize a force, and find them! Bring them back alive if possible, or their bodies still warm. Everyone in Dunkelheit is getting drinks on me if they can capture Gertrud Barkhorn alive so I can feed her sister's still-beating heart to her personally!"

**51**

The diversion had worked perfectly, almost _too_ well for Perrine's taste. It had been a bloody act, creeping up on the three Blackguards like white minks in the snow. Barkhorn had taken the one on the left, snapping their neck entirely around with her strength. Eila had done in the one on the right, but Perrine didn't know what she had done. She had put her hands on the man's back and he had died in a spasm, and fell over with trails of smoke drifting from is corpse. Perrine lacked the assets for a graceful, clean kill. Her assassination of the middle guard had been a bloody affair, made only more difficulty by the fact she had only come up to his chest. She had practically pounced on him from behind, jumping on his back and putting her arm around his mouth to keep him from screaming. Her knife did its work, stabbing in and out of his neck and bringing forth a spray of warm blood.

Like ghosts they had scrambled away and waited in the shadow of what was once a farming dike. There they had waited for their handiwork to be found, and sure enough all of Dunkelheit was now focused on combing those hills.

When the search began, the three crept through the shadow of night, through dikes and ditches to avoid being seen around to where Arina the fox had found an entrance.

Dunkelheit though...

"What... what is that?" Perrine whispered as they quietly stepped through a muddy ditch. The water at their feet only came up to their ankles, and they had to move carefully to avoid making noise. All the attention was diverted elsewhere though, and Perrine felt they had a moment for quiet conversation in what so far had been a dead silent night where all communication had been done in quick, short whispers. Eila was leading the way, walking barefoot through the muddy ditch and holding her fox in her arms. Apparently, Arina knew the way, and could guide Eila there through some means unknown to the other two.

"That, Perrine," Barkhorn whispered back, gazing up above Dunkelheit, "is what they call a _Neuroi Hive_. They say it's where Neuroin and his council of dark lieutenants call the Dark Ones from."

They were in the shadow of Dunkelheit's high walls, and above it all was a massive, swirling cloud of darkness shaped almost like a funnel. It was a black vortex against a bleak, blood-red night sky. The wind above them howled like wolves, and the air felt substantially colder in the shadow of this monstrosity. A metallic smell unlike anything Perrine had ever smelled carried on the wind. She had never seen anything so outlandishly awful, so absolutely bleak and soul crushing that it made the hope drain from her body as what was situated almost directly above them.

Eila voiced just the fears Perrine was feeling, "If we're spotted, it's game over. They wouldn't have a Neuroi Hive here if there wasn't someone who could call the Neuroi."

"Don't call them that, please," Perrine whispered in a weak voice. All of this was making her feel like this was a futile effort. This place was incredibly well-guarded. Just how could they sneak in and bring the three they were seeking to rescue out in one piece? Part of Perrine knew this would either result in an incredible victory; or the end of their journey. It had to be the former though, they could not afford to lose.

The water was becoming deeper and deeper, and they were forced to leave the ditch. Moving quickly, they crossed the short distance between the ditch and the walls. They continued following Eila's lead, almost entirely invisible against the blackness of the walls and the shadows they cast. The trickling of water told them they were near the source of it.

"Here!" Eila whispered a bit boldly; the ground they were treading sloped downwards as the ditch met the wall. Perrine couldn't see much in the darkness.

"What are we looking at?" she asked the wizard.

"Hold on, I have a torch," Barkhorn spoke up, and began reaching for her things on her back.

"No, stop!" Eila hissed. "Light'll give us away out here. Right on the wall is a grate to where they're draining rain water or something. Maybe it's the sewers, I don't know. Can you get this thing open?"

"Can I get this thing open?" Barkhorn repeated with a chuckle. "You don't know who you're talking to!"

"Pitch black sewers?" Perrine groaned, slumping against the wall behind her. "And we have no idea where we're going either?"

"That's the gist of it," the Karlslander replied, and hopped down into the water with a loud splash.

"Shh!" Eila hissed again. "What the fuck are you doing just blabbing and splashing around!? We're gonna get caught!"

"Do you want me to open this or not!?" Barkhorn shot back, hardly lowering her voice.

"Both of you shut your mouths!" Perrine exclaimed in a high whisper. "I already have enough anxieties about this without your bickering getting us killed!"

The other two murmured under their breaths in Karlslandian and Suomish respectively. Next came the sound of Barkhorn grunting slightly, and dull sound of something breaking as she presumably yanked the grating away. Then came a loud splash as she tossed it carelessly in the water at her feet. Some of it splashed against Perrine. In the distance out on the hills came the sound of voices.

"You idiot!" Eila gasped, her voice almost sounding like she was choking. "Everyone in, go, go, go!"

Stumbling through darkness, Perrine bumped into Eila and nearly lost her footing, threatening to fall into the muddy sewer water. Her boots slid, but she remained on her feet. Barkhorn hopped instantly, and Eila climbed in after. The passage was small, forcing them to crawl on their hands and knees. Perrine shivered cold water rushed over her gloves and pants. There she was, covered in blood from the Blackguard she had stabbed, and now crawling through filthy sewer water.

"On the bright side, nobody in the right mind would ever crawl in after us. They will just assume the grating was old and rusty and just fell off," Perrine muttered, absolutely miserable.

"Ugh, this is making Arina smell like wet fox," Eila groaned.

"Quit, complaining you two," Barkhorn whispered back at them. "Let's just be glad we found a way in and-, Ungh!"

Barkhorn had come to a complete and abrupt stop, forcing Eila to do so as well. Eila fell on her side, and Perrine ended up falling on top of her. Perrine's head landed right on Eila's chest, yet all Perrine could think of was the grubby sewer water, now inches away from her face, making her scowl.

"Why'd you stop!?" Eila growled.

"Yeah, funny thing about total darkness! I can't see shit!" Barkhorn shouted at the two of them, voice echoing down the tunnel. "Walked right into a wall. I think it splits both ways though, I don't know."

Eila growled and snapped her fingers. Suddenly they were surrounded by a dull purple glow. With her other hand, she pushed Perrine's head away, whispering, "Confess your undying love through physical affection _later_."

"Why you-" Perrine stammered, feeling her face go red as she awkwardly moved backwards. "I'm a noble lady of Gallia, I would never think of doing such a thing!"

"Well, yeah, noble lady of Gallia?" Barkhorn looked back at the other two, sporting a new bruise on her forehead. "Which way? Left or right?"

"Left," Perrine answered right away. "In a situation like this, you always take left."

"She's right you know," Eila confirmed.

Barkhorn navigated them left, and through Eila's spell they all breathed easier both in having a way to see, and now able to know the water they were crawling through was clear. "Say," Gertrud spoke up after a few minutes of slow crawling, "Why didn't you use that light spell earlier?"

Perrine answered first, "This is Eila we're talking about. She's gonna say something like-"

"You didn't ask," Eila finished for her. "Just 'cause I'm capable of spectacular feats that can change reality does not mean I'm a mind reader. How did I know you wanted light? And if so, what color?"

"How did you expect me to see!?" Barkhorn shot back.

"I don't know!" Eila exclaimed. "That's not my problem!"

"I'm gonna make it your problem if you don't-" Barkhorn's rant was cut off as she hit another wall. Her head had been turned back to bicker at Eila, and she had not seen the passage ending. "I hate this tunnel..."

"Dead end?" Perrine asked.

"No," the Karlslander in front answered in a pained groaned. "Goes up, looks like there's some metal rungs and I see something above."

"Our way in?"

"Could be," Barkhorn twisted her body awkwardly to try and fit her way up. "It's cramped, I don't know just who they were expecting to fit through this."  
"Quit complaining," Eila sighed. "Just climb on up, and if we can fit, see what's up there."

Fitting into the upwards tunnel was a difficult task, as it was situated at a ninety-degree angle. The three had to awkwardly slide into a sitting position upright, then stand to their feet. It was incredibly compact, and Perrine's claustrophobia was starting to get to her. There was hardly room to move her elbows, and she was starting to wonder if this was even made for people to fit in. Perhaps there were Dark Ones that simply performed maintenance? The rungs against the wall were rusted and spaced out weirdly, making the ascent even more difficult. Eila killed her light, and they moved through darkness again. This time, they were given the slightest illumination through flickering orange firelight above.

"Almost there..." Barkhorn whispered as they climbed upwards. The total passage was maybe as high as a two story building. She pushed up against the grating at the top, and it was not very strong. With a single good shove, and a healthy dose of magical strength, it came right off. The Karlslander climbed on through, a little brashly by Perrine's standards, and Eila went to follow when her foot slipped.  
"Whoops! Sorry, Perrine!" Eila whispered down as she used Perrine's face to catch herself.  
"No apology needed," Perrine grumbled through gritted teeth as Eila's bare foot was pressed against her cheek. "This is what friends are for."  
Thinking there had been enough physical contact between her and Eila to last a lifetime, Perrine climbed after the two, anxious to see just where in Dunkelheit they had ended up. It seemed to be some sort of kitchen; a bleak but sizable room with a large table in the center with the walls lined with counters; a stove; a wash basin; and other standard kitchen decorations including what looked like a larder. They had apparently climbed up through were excess water spilled on the floor drained out to. Or at least, that was what Perrine thought. Why it had rungs leading down was beyond her, but again, perhaps maintenance?

They were not alone though, but their company certainly could have been worse. Staring at them from across the table with confused, and weary eyes was a young girl. She may have been a pretty thing, but it was hard to tell under all the dirt and grim that coated her and the rags she wore. Was this a slave girl? From the look of her, she could not have been older than ten; with bushy, long dirty blonde hair.

The girl stood there in place, and Perrine raised a hand to her companions, gesturing for them to stay put. She walked around the table towards the girl, and knelt down before her. Despite being soaking wet and splattered slightly with blood (particularly around her collar), she managed to appear friendly and non-threatening. In a tender voice, she asked in her mother tongue, "_Hello there, we are here to help you_."

Barkhorn and Eila stood a bit awkwardly exchanging unsure glances back and forth. They were probably eager and restless to move on, not quite appreciating this holdup. The little girl said nothing, simply looking up at Perrine with curious, nervous eyes. She raised a finger to her lips, a gesture of quietness, and quickly darted past Perrine to hide beneath the center kitchen table. Perrine blinked in surprise but soon heard a noise that caught her attention. The sound of heavy boots falling and the clinking of mail and other armor. She quickly shot a glance at her two companions.

"I'll take care of this," Barkhorn quietly announced, hustling over near the door the kitchen. She waited just beside it, and whispered to the two others, "Quick, hide behind the table or something." Barkhorn was reaching for the sword at her belt before Perrine stopped her with a raised hand.  
"We don't need to kill every Blackguard we see. Those three we dispatched earlier was certainly enough for me," Perrine told her, and quietly stepped into the shadows of the kitchen larder.

The Karlslander nodded, "Right, I'll knock 'em out the old fashioned way."

"Thank you," Perrine said, and nearby, Eila simply lay on the floor in the shadows like she was about to drift off. There was a casual demeanor about her, but she was hidden for the most part. Perrine had meant what she said, killing that man with her dagger had been an absolutely horrifying experience. It was an act so barbaric and dishonorable, yet crucial to their success, that Perrine's mind had trouble coming to terms with it. Perrine didn't feel like the hero she wanted to be, she felt like a murderer, and all she could do was push the black thoughts from her head.

The door to the kitchen opened, and in stepped two Blackguards exchanging a casual conversation, completely oblivious to the danger they were walking into. Beside them, Barkhorn was right behind the door, oblivious to their sight.

"Basically, what I'm saying is that, with how much we're making, no, I'm not going to mop the floor downstairs," the first guard said, drunkenly ranting.

"But if you don't do your job, how are you ever going to get promoted?" the second guard asked.

The first shrugged and shook his head, "Don't know. Reckon I'd only get a bit more money anyway. Raises don't even happen, the way Kunze speaks of them. Best case scenario, he sees me as a good worker and doesn't send me up against those witches in Karlsland, not that that hasn't got merits. Could loot their bodies and get some nice wine and jewelry. Plus you can actually see the sun in Karlsland."

"And you get a horse," the other pointed out.

Again the first nodded, "Yeah, I'd love to ride out with some mates on horseback, but at the same time, I don't fancy getting killed by those knights who're actually trained for this."

"Or maybe the two of you should stop chattering and get back to work," Barkhorn interjected, stepping into the light. The two guards had barely any time to even gasp before Barkhorn grabbed their heads and slammed them together, knocking them both out cold... and possibly fracturing a skull and administering a concussion.

"Beautiful," Perrine said with a deadpan expression.

"Jeeze, Karlslander, you didn't have to kill them," Eila sighed, stepping up to join Barkhorn. She shook her head as she looked down at the knocked out guards. "Oh well, let's keep moving. With any luck the people who find these goons will just think they're stupid and stopped for a little sleep. Then they fell and hurt themselves."

"Three dead guards out in the hills, and then this," Perrine muttered as she joined them near the door. "We're not covering our tracks very well. With any luck this can also serve as our escape route."

Before leaving, Perrine spared one last look at the girl who had been in the room. She gave her simply an encouraging nod. The silent girl nodded back, her eyes seeming to understand Perrine's mission in a sense. With that, the three left, plunging into the darkness of Dunkelheit. Barkhorn took point, hand on her holy sword as Perrine followed directly behind. Eila was last, Arina the fox bounding about near her feet.

Their progress was halted soon by the bane of most adventures: a three-way intersection. Before them was a dim staircase leading to some upper level. To their left were smaller, steeper stairs descending into an eerie darkness. Unlike the upper level, there were torches flickering a little ways down the stairs. It meant there was some purpose in descending if it was illuminated. The final way, right, was simply a dark hall lined with torches. For the briefest of moments, a shadow moved far down that way, then a couple others as if people were moving in small groups in the distance somewhere.

"I bet this is the main floor," Barkhorn commented, cracking her knuckles. "This is it then, we're in. Perrine, move downwards and see if that's some sort of dungeon. That's probably where everyone would be held. You're the quietest and the most discreet, so this is best left for you."

Perrine replied with a strong nod and a slight bow of her head, "I understand. I will not let you down. Eila, will you accompany me?"

Barkhorn answered before her, "No, Eila, head upstairs and scour for them on that level. I'll search this level. If we can't find them in each of our respective areas, we can at least cause a diversion so the others can search more safely."

"Yes, I agree with this plan," Perrine patted the hilt of her rapier and gazed over at the stairs downwards. "God watch over both of you, and best of luck."

Eila said nothing, her eyes focused on the way upwards.

"Eila?" Barkhorn spoke to gain her attention.

"Huh?" Eila looked over at the Karlslander. She blinked sheepishly and quickly shook her head, "Oh, sorry, got distracted by my thoughts. Let's rendezvous in that kitchen once we've searched out each floor, or found a dead end."

"Okay, it's settled then. See you two in a bit, and be safe!" Barkhorn began heading down her way. Her hand was on her sword's hilt, and there was purpose in her quick step. Stealth was not going to be her forte, but they were already in. They could face their enemy in narrow corridors where the numbers advantage would not aid them the same way. Here, their magic made each of them worth a hundred men; if not more.

With the other two alone, Perrine put a hand on Eila's shoulder, "Eila, what's wrong? You're a bit spacey sometimes, but this isn't like you."

Eila shrugged, looking away up the stairs. In a quiet voice, she replied, "I don't know, Perrine. I just feel a sort of calling from up there. It's like something's trying to get my attention. Sort of like an old friend waiting for me. I can't describe it, but I think it's somewhere I need to go."

"This sounds like a trap," Perrine said with a frown.

The wizard shook her head in denial, "No, my magic would stop any sort of trap from working on me. This is different, this is something trying to get my attention on a wizardly level. Like I said, I can't describe it; not to someone who isn't a wizard herself. Don't let me hold you up, go find your father; Sanya; and Gertrud's sister. I'll meet you soon."

"Yeah, right," Perrine sighed, and shook her head.

**Eila**

Eila felt a strange sense of relief as she set off by herself. Her bare feet went one step at a time up, with Arina scurrying about around her legs. The feeling inside her was something she was having trouble understand. It reminded her of her wizarding trials years ago, where she felt a yearning for a sort of power that was silently calling her name. This feeling now was very similar; there was a silent call and the yearning to answer it. Was she being manipulated? Eila knew that was possible, but was also too brave and confident to let it worry her. She fully believed there was nothing her magic couldn't deal with.

Where was she going? Was Sanya this way? No, she didn't think so. Instead there was something more important, something that mattered more on the grand scale. As independent as Eila was, she was silently putting her faith in her two companions; mostly Perrine. Around her was darkness, almost pitch black. With a flick of her fingers, she brought forth her light spell once more to show the way. It was diluted against the blackness, hardly giving her view of more than a couple meters around her. The stairs ended, and she was in some large chamber with no walls she could spot.

Was Sanya being kept in some sort of place like this too? The idea was enough to make Eila feel sick. She did not dwell long on that thought, however. Her surroundings provoked her attention far too much for that. Her bare foot took another step forward, and she found the ground felt strangely insubstantial. This whole place felt surreal. In her hand, the light she had conjured was fading.

Anxiety was setting in, and when she went to turn, she found the way out was simply gone. She was alone in an expanse of darkness. At her leg, Arina was pawing at her.

"There, there," Eila whispered and picked the fox up to hold. She cradled the little animal close and patted her head to reassure her everything was okay. Personally, she wasn't so sure that was the case. She looked around, trying to make some sense of-

She yelped in surprise as something was now directly before her. It was a Sharp-shooter Dark One, standing nearly twice her height. Acting purely on instinct she raised her hand for a spell. Just what would work in this situation? A disintegrating spell? A swarm of meteors? Orbs of force were a neat little trick too.

The Dark One did not react to fire at her with its terrible black bolts. Instead it raised its 'hand'. Eila's head was suddenly filled with a jumble and garble of a million thoughts simultaneously; none that she could understand. The sensation made her dizzy, and a pang of fear filled her as she realized she couldn't concentrate properly for a spell in that sort of state. Still, the Dark One did not try and harm her.

No, instead she heard a voice in her head. It was a harsh, loud grating whisper that set her teeth on edge, a sort of a harsh, deep exhale, "Does this one understand?"

Meekly, Eila nodded. She took a couple steps back, holding Arina closer than before.

"It does not need fear. We are not to battle. It is here to speak. Speak with us; the grandest. She whose hand directs our kind. We are... Neuroi... She is Neuroi. It is of man."

"W-Woman," Eila corrected in a wince. Her ears were ringing from the terrible voice.

"Not just man; Woh-man. It is of magic. Magic born; and magic learned."

Eila understood that it understood that she was both wizard and witch.

The Neuroi continued, "She who is Neuroi sees this. Seees the one that is Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen."

The way it hissed her name made Eila's skin crawl. She was shaking, and her teeth were chattering. Just hearing this thing speak made her feel sick; and above all else: dirty. Hardly able to even manage any sort of speaking voice, Eila stammered, "Wh...who is she!? Wh-why are y-y-you speaking t-to me!?"

"I have told this one. She is Neuroi; as we are. The smallest spies; warriors; to us keepers of wisdom: the Librarians; to the great juggernauts that will sooon command your skies, land, and air. Yet, we are her. We are all one; a million jewels; but one mind. All bound her armour."

The 'Librarian' raised its hand, and Eila saw it before it could happen. She saw the glimpse of a future less than a second away; of it grabbing at her face. The wizard spun on her heels, planning to dash away and retaliate with a spell. Instead, she turned to see another Librarian less than a meter away. Then another one was beside it, another, and another...

There was only the smallest gap for her to escape from, but her reflexes weren't there in that state of mind. The feeling of cold Neuroi 'hands' made her skin shiver and crawl as they grasped at her upper arms. She felt herself crying out in protest and fear, but no sound seem to come. Instead she felt the sensation of free falling; and no ground at her feet. All was black, but she felt wind whipping her hair and dress. Arina was squirming and whining, and Eila did everything in her power not to let her go. The sensation of being grabbed was gone, but now she was falling through some black abyss.

The feeling took her back several years. In the midst of all this, she felt a strange tingling of nostalgia. She had come out of her wizarding trials and was eager to test her new spells. The scars of the ordeal were still fresh; the home life was difficult; and she needed an escape. So she climbed very high to where a cliff overlooked a valley, just beside a waterfall. It was a Suomish spring, beautiful and blooming. She stood high on that cliff with Sanya, and told her to be brave. They held hands and jumped, free falling to what would have been certain death. She remembered holding tight to Sanya and feeling her best friend's warmth against the chilly air as they fell. Her spell worked, and their fall was slowed to a harmless and lazy descent... like two feathers falling together. This sensation now was almost like that, but Sanya was not there.

The falling ended, and her feet touched what felt like glass. She was on some sort of dark platform, only marked by blue glowing outlines of hexagons. Around her swirling clouds of dark gray and black. Smears of red, like obscured eyes broke up the dimness and told her that she was being watched. Wind was blowing hard against her, making her hair and dress flutter wildly.

"Welcome, Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen," came a clear, and understandable female voice from somewhere before her. The voice was deep, powerful, yet somehow friendly. The clouds before her parted to reveal a floating object. It was a large glowing dodecahedron, bright red and bobbing in place as it turned this way and that. Below it was nothing, a clear view of Dunkelheit hundreds of meters below. Eila knew it now, she was in the Neuroi Hive... speaking to it.

The voice came again, and Eila could only stand awestruck at all of this, "I am sorry that my Librarians are very intimidating. You know the strength they carry to destroy your kind, but there is much more to them than that. They carry so much wisdom; wisdom that would be lost and scattered across the cosmos otherwise. Excuse my rudeness, as I have not had a chance to formally greet you. I am... simply, I have no name. I am the Neuroi; their voice and guiding hand. The one, Neuroin, and his human followers call me 'The Red Jewel'. The jewel you see before you is not truly me. I exist elsewhere, guiding Neuroin as best I can."

"G-Guiding... Neuroin?" Eila's voice was barely a whisper. A rush of emotions, practically every one there was, filled her. That whisper disappeared, and was replaced with a thunder, "You! _You_! You... You did all of this! You're the Dark Ones who killed my parents! Who turned my big sister into... into what she is now!"

Her eyes began burning with tears, and a black pit of frustration was growing inside her.

"You destroyed my best friend's homeland! You're the reason Sanya can't be with her parents and... a-and... That's it! You're done for right now!"

She saw it before it happened, but acted anyway. Her magic did not come, instead she was wracked with intense pain. Eila screamed and fell to her side, shaking and coughing. Her witch magic was still there, she could feel it, but her wizard magic hadn't worked at all. It only brought incredible pain.

"I am sorry the sensation is so hurtful," The Red Jewel spoke in a voice that was almost mocking with its concern. "You see, we Neuroi subsist of magic like that. Using such power here will only hurt you. Persist, Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, and it may kill you!"

"_Shut up!_" Eila screamed. Her eyes were pouring tears, and her nose running hard. She sniffled and raised her hand again, desperately trying to conjure another spell. Just a measly fireball to destroy that red core was all she needed. Again, there was only pain. Her back arched and her finger made fists that caused her nails to dig into her palms. Another scream came, and Arina was at her side, whimpering and licking her hand.

"Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, please, you do not want to keep hurting yourself do you?" The Red Jewel spoke in that same voice that filled the wizard with spite. "I did not bring you hear to harm you, but to speak and... hmm, explain things. See, I know you. I know your ambitions and what you wish to become."

"You don't know anything about me!" Eila cried, trying to find the strength to stand. It did not come.

"I think you are wrong, wizard. I know you passed your trials out of sheer determination. You craved power; power to protect those you love. You wanted to protect your older sister against your father, and you endured so much pain and suffering to do so."

Eila's eyes went wide, and she managed to sit. "How... h-how do you know that!?" she stammered. "And so what... so what if I wanted to be strong!? Why would I want to be weak!? How can someone like me, a small girl, protect anyone without power like that!?"

"I am not judging you, Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen," the Jewel correct. "Oh no, the opposite. Your drive was admirable. You are powerful, and still have so much more potential. You have seen the power offered to the Blackguards. Imagine those two things combined! You would be invincible! You would be able to protect those you love and destroy your enemies with but a thought!"

The Red Jewel's encouraging enthusiasm took Eila back. She blinked tears from her eyes and considered for a moment just what she was being told. She knew there were Blackguards with similar power to that of the Dark Ones, and they were a forced to be reckoned with. However, it was not something she wanted at all.

"I know your worries," the Jewel continued. "Think of your ambition though. That fool Neuroin would be nothing to your power once it had a chance to grow properly. You could easily replace him, and the Neuroi would be at you back. You could shape this world as you wanted! You would rule everything, and could stop all this pointless war. I know you do not have any plans of conquest. You could bring peace and enforce it."

"How..." Eila whispered and winced as she went to stand. "How could you know so much about me? Why me of all people? Why not Perrine, Barkhorn, or Lynette or any of our companions!? Sure, I'm a wizard, but I'm not the strongest. Jarri Siilasvuo would have killed me without Perrine's help."

"That is simple," The Red Jewel answered casually, "I was able to watch you from the help of your sister."

"Aurora!?" Eila gasped.

"Yes. Aurora Edward Juutilainen. She has been carrying the greatest of spies with her for a very long time."

Eila's heart froze for a second as she realized what the Jewel was talking about. She stammered out, "You... y-you don't mean her.-"

"Yes, her weapon. _Planet Smasher_, once used by an omniscient hero of our kind thousands of years ago. It was a gift for Neuroin to use in his conquests that he passed upon one of his generals... a general that was slain by your sister. That is when _Planet Smasher _fell into her hands."

"Incredible..." Eila muttered, and then realized something. "Wait... w-wait, wait, _wait_! What are _your kind_!? Why are you here in the first place!? Why are you helping Neuroin do this!?"

A sound came from The Red Jewel that almost sounded like a sigh, and it answered, "I suppose we have finally come to this. I will answer simply and plainly. We are a hyper-advanced race of beings that have transcended to dimensions beyond what you and your people can fathom. We are fueled by what you call 'magic', and we move from world to world across the omniverse absorbing and fueling our existence. We have seen a million cultures, and in yours you call your 'magic-users' _witches_ and _wizards_. Traditionally, we offer our great and boundless knowledge in return for these conduits of energy to us; _witches_ and _wizards_. We have advanced so many civilizations, taken them far beyond what they could achieve on their own. Sadly, your world is very devoid of the magic we seek, and your kind are better attuned to use it to defend yourselves. Neuroin has been a very disappointing host, and you... you, Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen could do so much better than him."

"You want... you want me to replace him!?" Eila blurted out. At her feet, Arina growled at the glowing red jewel. The pain was gone, now just replaced with rising anger. "You want me to replace him so... so I can give up my fellow witches as... as oil for your torches!? Just to burn out and be forgotten so you can move on!?"

Eila could not get the thought of her Sanya being sacrificed to these _things_; whatever they were and wherever they came from.

"It is a worthy sacrifice, I assure you," the Jewel tried to convince her. "A very, very small portion of your population in return for so much knowledge and power available to every last man! Neuroin has halted this process with his greed and is not fueling us to properly conduct our business. Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, you could be the hero who brought your world to a new age of enlightenment and understanding. More than that, you would rule over it all! Furthermore, you have no option to refuse. Your _wizard_ magic cannot save you here. Should you reject this offer, we Neuroi shall kill you quickly and painlessly."

From Eila came a laugh that bordered on crazy. She picked Arina up in her arms, and began to pace, ready to say her piece.

"I guess I should have guessed you were from some other world," she began, a toothy grin on her face. Sanya would have known it as 'Eila's mischievous grin'. "Trolls, faeries, spirits; I'm from Suomus so I know all about things from different worlds. The big difference is those things live in tune with magic, while you're out to destroy it, huh? You know what, I'd rather fight you to the bloody, bitter end than live in a world with no wonder and magic in it! Because a world with no magic means a world without my friends. I don't need to submit to kick Neuroin out and beat your stupid Neuroi. Plus, Sanya gets all naggy when I brag about my magic. I'd never hear the end of it I've became god empress of everything. Seriously, you should have asked Perrine, she'd have been a safer bet."

"It is sad, Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen," there was what sounded like genuine remorse in the Jewel's voice. "You must die here. The exposed heart of the Hive is just before you, and alas you have no weapons. Your magic you strove so hard for cannot save you."

"You forgot something," Eila smirked as she stepped forward. "I'm not just a wizard, I'm a witch too."

"And what will your witch magic do, Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen? If I am not mistaken, you have brief glimpses of the future and that is all."

"That is _not _all," Eila could hardly contain a laugh. "Witches all have one thing in common..."

She raised Arina by the scruff and covered her in the universal witch spell: the magic shield. Like the weapons of her companions, Arina was bathed in a blue light that would protect her from harm.

Eila threw Arina at the exposed Hive's core.

**Perrine**

"Damn it!" Perrine hissed as another pair of Blackguards rushed her in the narrow confines of Dunkelheit's dungeon. The first one jabbed with a longsword; and as a self-proclaimed 'master of dueling', Perrine felt no difficulty in deflecting his strike. Her rapier came up quick, puncturing through his neck and sending a spray of blood as he fell backwards gargling. The other came, and the two exchanged blows. Steel rang off the stone walls around them, and it was Perrine again who found and opening and stabbed hard at her foe's thigh. He cried out in pain, and with a quick thrust she pierced his heart and let him fall.

Perrine was not feeling so well. While being the superior combatant, she was not impervious to harm. Already she was sporting several bleeding cuts and slices. On her right arm was a particularly bad one that stung terribly and was dripping blood down to her elbow.

She was at six or seven kills since descending. The first had been the jailor, from whom she had liberated a set of keys. The dungeons were a maze, and she had been moving quickly, hallway by hallway, trying to find who she was looking for. So far, she had had little luck. Thankfully, the dungeon was so damned big and filled with so many empty cells that she was still moving barely undetected. She was sure that the soldiers of Dunkelheit knew there were intruders now. Getting in and out unseen would be impossible with how many patrols and guards there were.

Perrine just hoped Barkhorn and Eila weren't stirring up too much of a ruckus up top. Thankfully nearly all the locks were of the same make, with a single key. Perrine assumed this was due to laziness of the creators of Dunkelheit and not any other reason. Moving in shadows as best she could (and there were plenty), she went door to door unlocking. She found the occasional Karlsland war prisoner and left the door unlocked. The language barrier prevented her from being able to tell them to sit tight, but they seemed to get the idea. She doubted she could orchestrate a grand escape with the Dark Ones overhead, but perhaps Barkhorn would know what to do. Plus, she could actually speak with them.

Around another corner she went, and hugged against the shadows of a nearby torch. Ahead, she saw a group of four cross an intersection, moving out of view. They seemed to be in a hurry. Then behind them, another rushed to meet them, calling out in Gallian, "W-Wait! What's going on? Why are we abandoning our posts!?"

"Don't know!" one of the men shouted back. "Someone went rogue I think. One of the Elite Blackguards is just hacking people apart upstairs!"

The man following them stopped in his tracks, "Wait, hold on, hold on! I'll stay down here. Kunze is gonna start hacking _me_ apart if I leave those three unguarded. Captain Desmond ordered me to just see what was going on."

"Fine, fine, stay down here, then!"

"Good luck topside, try to keep all your arms!"

The man split with the group, heading down to Perrine's left as the others went right. She wasted no time, smiling to herself as she silently hustled along to follow him. Thankfully her mark moved quickly, splashing through puddles and making all sorts of noise in his mail suit. Perrine was effectively a ghost behind him. The whole time, her hand was on the hilt of her rapier. Ahead, the hall turned left again. Multiple torches around the corner, and she saw the shadows of a man. Her pace quickened to nearly a sprint behind the Blackguard.

Her voice came out as a harsh hiss, nearly muted by the acoustics of the dungeon's walls, "_Tonnerre!_"

Perrine's elbow slammed into his back, and with a crackle of electricity he flew forward and hit the ground; out cold.

_At least that's one I haven't killed outright like some murderous miscreant_, Perrine thought, then felt her stomach flip. Hardly able to stand, she fell against the nearby wall, slumping down its cold side to the ground with a splash into some tepid puddle. It just came all at once, her hands were shaking and she felt like she was going to vomit. She looked at those shaking hands, seeing the dark and crusted stains of blood on her gloves and sleeves. It was _Gallian_ blood. She had acted just on adrenaline, focusing on the mission and was now realizing just what she had done. Those men were _dead_. Those were men who probably joined the Blackguards to bring bread to their starving wives and children. Perrine couldn't believe she was smiling about this a moment ago.

This was not the same as fighting the men who had tried to ride them down in Karlsland. They had ridden out for war, and had received it in return. Amidst the smoke, blood, and death there had been a shaky justification for it all. Here, it was different. Perrine had plunged her knife into the throat of a man simply walking those hills. Why hadn't she just knocked him out? Why did it have to be this way?

Footsteps brought her back to focus, and she quickly sprung to her feet. The person around that corner had stepped into view. It was a Blackguard, dressed in the dim armor of the Dark Ones. He looked older than most of the Blackguards Perrine had seen, probably past fifty with long gray hair tied back neatly. He looked down at the fallen Blackguard at his feet, then up at Perrine.

"Jaeger Kunze has a cunning mind, and is a brilliant strategist. He is arrogant though, thinking no one foolish enough to brave Dunkelheit. Tell me, which are you? The Suomish girl who's friend my General has an unhealthy fascination for? Or are you the Gallian whose father we took hostage? I know you are not Gertrud Barkhorn; a Karlsland rider would not bring a rapier into battle."

"I am Perrine-Henriette Clostermann; daughter of Tristepin and Evangelyne of the Gallian noble family Clostermann. I've come for my father; and I have come for my dear companion Sanya and the younger sister of Gertrud Barkhorn. I suggest you direct me to where I may find them, sir."

She spoke with all the dignity and class of a noble. Speaking this way, this incredibly formal introduction with her proper name brought comfort. It helped bury her fear and those feelings from only moments before. Instinctively, her hand rested on her rapier. Despite her small stature, she felt like she commanded an intimidating presence towards this man.

"So the Gallian," the Blackguard spoke with crossed arms, gazing down at Perrine. He appeared to be sizing her up. "Go ahead then, go on past me and find them. You've made a mistake by coming here, though. You could have bargained your loved ones back, but by doing this, you've ensured you'll all die. Do you truly think you can escape this place?"

"I do and I will," Perrine answered.

The man sighed and shook his head, beginning to walk past Perrine in a casual way, "You're all fools then. Enjoy your smallest of victories."

"Where do you think you're going!?" Perrine demanded, drawing her rapier and holding the point towards him. He rose his hands and hugged his back against the far way, trying to inch away.

"Easy! I'm going up for a breath of fresh air," his hands lowered and he stopped. "Look, I don't care about your friends; I don't care about Dunkelheit; I just want to watch this blow over without dying. I had no part in orchestrating their capture, I just micromanage the going-ons internally of this place. Does that really justify stabbing me?"

Perrine lowered her rapier and thought on that. After a second, she shook her head, "No, it doesn't."

He slowly began stepping past her, arms and hands where she could plainly see them. He nodded, and hustled along quicker, "Good luck, I suppose. You'll need it."

She watched him leave in his quick pace, and wondered if letting him go was the correct decision or not. Essentially, she was letting an enemy alert everyone of her presence. Something told her that was less of a threat than she thought. Barkhorn was not the stealthy type, and chances were she had hacked up dozens of Blackguards in a great bloody trail. Plus, there was no telling what Eila was up to at that very moment. Her wizard trickery could have brought on any number of problems. Perrine simply hoped their escape wasn't going to be held up by the problems her companions had caused. Even then, she was certain her skill and determination could overcome these obstacles.

Perrine shook those thoughts out of her head and focused on the goal ahead. She progressed onwards where that Blackguard had been. She rounded the last corner and found the last hallway. It was some ten meters long with three doors at the end. One to the left and right, and one on the far side. She had her keys, and she was ready to rescue everyone and get the hell out of there. She started left, fumbling through her found keys until she was able to unlock the door.

In an anxious hurry, she yanked the door open, and found some relief. It was Sanya Litvyak, sitting in the cold corner of her cell on a feather bed; naked and miserable by the look of things. The girl had flinched at the sight of the door opening, but gave an astounded gasp upon seeing Perrine.

"Y-You..." she stammered, an uncontrollable smile crossing her face. "H-how did you... I..."

Perrine smiled, feeling her heart warm at the sight of Sanya's relief. Seeing her naked state, she took a moment to shed her cloak and tossed it out to Sanya. It was a little damp, but carried Perrine's body warmth as well as modesty. Sanya gratefully took it, and wrapped herself tight in it.

"Eila's here too," Perrine told her, stepping forward and crouching beside her. "Are you hurt?"

Sanya shook her head, and suddenly lurched forward and grabbed Perrine around the waist into a tight hug. She buried her head in Perrine's chest. In her soft, weak voice, she murmured, "I'm so sorry... I put you in danger and-"  
"Stop that," Perrine cut her off, and rose to her feet. She pulled Sanya up with her, and held her in a loose embrace. As much as she was relieved to see Sanya okay, and how much she wanted to comfort her; she knew they had to get moving and get moving fast. It would be Eila's job to comfort her when they met again.

"You aren't the only we've come to save," she continued. "My father, Barkhorn's sister... the three of us would have braved worse if need be. We can't afford to stay around, so I'm going to free the other two and we're going to find Eila and Barkhorn, then leave. Okay?"

"Okay," Sanya repeated, and slowly let Perrine go. She stood there shivering and holding the black cloak tight. Perrine saw the look in her eyes. It was the face of someone who had just woken up from a terrible nightmare and was taking solace in the simple fact it was over.

Flying on the wings of adrenaline, Perrine left Sanya and went for the next door. She hastily opened it, feeling her breath catch in her throat as she laid eyes upon her father. He was worse for wear than Sanya. Their captors had merely humiliated Sanya, but had gotten physical with Trist. He sat at the far side of an empty cell wearing nothing but haggard burlap pants. His body was adorned with dark bruises, scabs, and some dried blood from minor cuts and scrapes. Under his eyes were dark circles, and his hair was matted and damp.

"Dear lord," he gasped breathlessly upon the sight of Perrine. With that came a bewildered laugh, "Perrine!? You're as mad as only your mother's daughter could be. You... you've actually come!"

"I came and I'm going to leave," Perrine smiled triumphantly and stepped forward. With a groan of stress, her father rose to his feet and clumsily stepped forward. The two of them met in a hug, a tight embrace that spoke more than words. Perrine was taken countless years back with nostalgia. Memories of her father's arms around her resurfaced after being forgotten for a decade. She was crying now, and acted on sheer emotion. Her fist harmlessly hit his chest, and she sobbed, "Why didn't you tell me!? I thought you were dead, Father! Oh, why did I have to learn who you were from _him_!?"

"I've told you already," Trist spoke as he held his daughter in his arms. "You've lived your whole life without me. When journeying with you... I saw the daughter of Sakamoto Mio, with all the right traits of my dear Eva. I was so proud, but at the same time it hurt to see how much of a fine woman you had become without any of my influence."

"But we're here together now," Perrine whispered and sniffled hard. "None of that matters now, we're here together. None of the years apart matter, we're together again, Father. I'm so scared, there's so much I need to do and so much burden on my shoulders and I need guidance. Neuroin is going to fall at my hand, but... but I don't know the way. I don't know how to be a leader and show these witches the way. My faith in our Lord only wanes and my friendship with Suomus pagan only strengthens. Nothing's right, and I don't know what to do! How can I defeat Neuroin like this and save Gallia!?"

It all came so easily, telling her father her fears and worries. All of it came so smoothly and comfortably, the doubts she had not confided in anyone.

"Perrine," he spoke, and ran a gentle hand through her hair. "Sakamoto Mio never wanted you to be the one to bear the entire burden of humanity like this. She wanted you to be her agent and help all the witches of Europe defeat this menace in unity. While you've done a fantastic job guiding them so far, this is not your burden alone. I've seen your friends and how they care for your and trust you. Fighting this fight is not your duty alone. Have faith in your companions and friends."

In a fiery flash, Perrine thought back to her most hated memory. The sight of Neuroin running her mother through with his fiery sword. The sight of her falling backwards hard into the dirt. There was not going to be another memory of that. She would either prevent it, or die before she could see it.

Perrine swallowed hard, and forced herself to leave the comforting embrace of her father. This was not a fear she was going to share with her father.

"Father," she said. "When we're safe, will you tell me everything? I want to know what Sakamoto Mio was to my mother, and just who you and she were. Sakamoto told me so little, but I've come to learn they... t-they may have been more than simple friends."

"Aye," Trist nodded, a little gravely. "You deserve to know, my little sweet."

Perrine almost felt dizzy at hearing her old pet name from him. Ten years removed from it, all the memories came pouring back in like a torrent. Memories of sitting with him under the peach tree in the back yard of their estate as he read old storybooks to her. Memories as he lavishly retold heroic stories of him and his companions beating back the scattered forces of the Dark Ones as brave knights of Gallia. He always got lost in those stories, getting into character and acting out all the participants himself. Trist and his companions always saved the pretty girl at the end, but Perrine's mother was there to give him a bop on the head to remind him who the real girl he won was. Perrine remembered being so young and laughing hysterically at their banter.

Trist continued, "Sakamoto Mio was always the greatest obstacle in my quest for your mother. At first sight I was stricken with my beautiful Evangelyne. Yet, she always had that Fuso entourage around her that kept me away. Most of all was the kensai, the one who raised you. She was always there to smugly point out my flaws to Evangelyne, to tell her how she could do better... and how she should just forget about me. She admitted the true reason why she did this later to us, which I will explain to you once we're out of this pit... but eventually I won. My wit and charm made my beautiful Eva smile, and our adventure and time out in Paris made her laugh and dance. Sakamoto despised this, but I made her feel as free as a bird. I was the person she wanted to spend her life with. She was free to follow the wind and do as she pleased. Some days she wanted to dance in the fields and sing songs of happiness. Other days she wanted to sit against my lap and read her favorite tales under her favorite peach tree. Do you remember that tree, Perrine? We spent so much time laughing and being happy under it."

"I do, father," Perrine replied, feeling tears fall freely from her burning eyes. She turned away, and then felt her father's hands on her shoulders. "I chose to chase the memories of it away because it hurt so much. I loved you two so much... to have you back is..." She looked upward and spoke to a Heaven that may or may not have been listening, "Oh thank you, God! Thank you for listening to my prayers and giving me back a chance at happiness... thank you..."

"Evangelyne is buried under that tree," her father said. "When this is all over, we can visit Caen and pay our respects, if you wish."

Perrine nodded, "Yes... that sounds wonderful. For now though... I need to rescue Gertrud Barkhorn's sister and orchestrate our escape."

From the hallway she had traversed, Perrine heard voice of Blackguards shouting, "Another one down! Move up, I think we have that witch whore cornered! Let's go!"

Perrine stepped forward and drew her rapier, "Sorry Father, but I think I need to carve us a path out of here." Her hand went to her belt and she yanked up her set of keys she had liberated. She handed them back to her fathered and ordered, "Rescue Barkhorn's sister from what I presume is that last cell. I have business to take care of."

She brandished her rapier in one hand as electricity crackled in her other. Perrine didn't know it, but she was channeling the spirit of her mother in more ways than one. Her boldness; her willingness to jump into action without a fear on the wings of confidence were all traits that Evangelyne Clostermann had shared. With that was her desire to protect others: friends; family; those dear to her friends. Wherever she was, Perrine's mother was certainly smiling down at her.

"_Tonnerre!_" she cried as she rounded the corner. Lightning burst from her hands, blasting through the horde of Blackguards coming to stop her. There had been nearly a dozen of them, and all of them were knocked off their feet by the spell. Perrine felt it was not as powerful as her previous incarnations had been that night. Her magic was starting to wane from continuous use, and she could only hope it was enough to get her out safely.

"Shit, run away!" one of the guards sheepishly cried. Several followed his lead, getting to their feet and scrambling back the way they came. Others rolled on the ground, moaning and groaning in pain as smoke rose from them. Perrine felt a slight bit of comfort in knowing her spell had not simply murdered them all... simply burned them horribly and left them in intense agony. Still, they weren't dead.

More were coming though judging by the sounds of boots echoing on stone.

"We're good to go," came her father's voice from behind her. With him was Sanya, wrapped in Perrine's dark cloak. Beside them was a small, innocent looking little girl who wore a very frightened expression. She was wearing a pink dress that had probably been very cute before it had been dirtied and torn by this whole ordeal. Her hair was short and brown, and the resemblance between the two Barkhorn sisters was strong.

Trist wasted no time retrieving a broadsword from a fallen Blackguard. He smiled at it and gave it a twirl in his hands.

"Father," Perrine protested, looking back at him and then back the way she heard boots. "You're in no condition to fight right now! Let me lead us out of here and back to the others!"

"No can do, lass," he shook his head and stepped next to Perrine. Shirtless, bloodied and battered, he looked eager for a fight, "Blame it on my old chivalry from being a knight, but I can't let a noble lady of Gallia rush into danger unprotected. You're mistaken if you think I lasted all these years in occupied Gallia just to die in some dungeon. I still have work to do. You and your companions may be the one to dealing the felling blow to Neuroin, but I still have my part to play. Come on, Perrine, let's get the bloody hell out of here!"

**Gertrud**

To say the least, Gertrud Barkhorn was in her element. It was all there: the thrill of battle and the constant risk of injury and death that brought with it a surge of adrenaline. It was up to Eila and Perrine to find those they had come to rescue, and in the meantime, Gertrud was causing one hell of a distraction. It was all working beautifully. She was being mistaken for a Blackguard and not some infiltrator. With her dark cloak and attire over her mail, she looked just like of them. Instead of 'Gertrud Barkhorn', she was 'Crazy Traitor Bitch'.

It was a title she wore proudly as Hartmann's sword cut down another Blackguard in her hand. With it was the familiar spray of blood as her magic strength turned any weapon in her hand into a force of destruction. Another Blackguard surged towards her in the wide corridor of the ground floor of Dunkelheit. She met him with her shield, bashing it at him hard enough to shatter bones and send him tumbling back.

"Come on!" Gertrud laughed, walking casually toward another group of soldiers coming to meet her. "You outnumber me a thousand to one! And I'm a girl! Who's next!?"

The ground floor seemed to be composed mostly of barracks and large, dark corridors. She was taking constant right turns (following her dominant hand, even if she could use her off-hand far better than most) and hacking down and Blackguard in her way. This was revenge for having her little sister captured. She couldn't bear to sneak around in the shadows anymore. She wanted action and she wanted payback. Too many of her knights had died that dark night as well; and she was repaying the favor tenfold here in Dunkelheit.

Most of all, she was hunting for Jaeger Kunze.

Her enemy just _did not_ seem to get it. They charged her, meeting her in that corridor as the bodies of their comrades lay behind her in bloody heaps. Outnumbering her seven-to-one wasn't going to save them. Again her shield slammed into a poor bastard, sending him staggering back into his companions. She followed up her attack, sword swinging hard and her shield working to both deflect blows at her and return them with bone-cracking force. After another bloody skirmish in her favor, Barkhorn pressed on. Splattered with blood and lightheaded from adrenaline, she simply made another right turn. Whatever mental map she had of this floor was lost after all the winding turns, but she was sure she could find her way back to the others easily. Plus, Eila probably had some spell to help them regroup.

"I don't know why I never used a shield before!" Gertrud laughed as she walked past the bloody mess she had caused. Not all of those Blackguards were dead, and she was fine with that. They could limp back to Paris with countless broken bones to warn all the others about the dangers of fighting Karlslanders.

She kicked open a set of double doors into the largest room yet. It was lined with long tables, and barely lit by several torches. This was supposed to be the mess hall, but late at night it was mostly abandoned. A few girls who looked like servants went running at the sight of Barkhorn leaving only a handful of Blackguards in the room. Seeing her blood covered form and the thrill of battle in her eyes, they did not look eager to engage her at all.

One of them shouted something nervously in Gallian to her, and none of the five of them went for their weapons. They looked content to keep a distance of two tables between them and her.

"English," Barkhorn told them. "Gallian just annoys me. Ask yourself, do you want to see me pissed off? Because right now..." she gestured back to the hallway of carnage behind her. "...that's me being perfectly calm."

"English?" came a voice from behind her. It was a man's voice, sounding reasonably strong and capable. Barkhorn turned around quickly to see a Blackguard, an officer by the look of him, walking past the mess she had created. He looked older than the rest, with neat graying hair tied back. "You must be the very infamous Gertrud Barkhorn. It finally seems you have grown so arrogant with your countless victories that you've decided to storm Dunkelheit. Granted it seems my general has provoked this incursion, but even then you and your Gallian companion remain fools."

"Gallian companion? You mean Perrine!?" Gertrud took a step forward at him, raising her shield and sword in a defensive position.

"Yes, her," he nodded. "She so graciously relieved me of my guard duty to go visit you up here. To answer your next question, your sister and those else you sought are safe as far as I know. So, how do you plan to your orchestrate your great escape? You are separated and Kunze will no doubt rally every Neuroi in Gallia to hunt you down. Just how far do you think you can make it?"

"I'll think of something," Gertrud replied through gritted teeth. She then thought of a quick bluff, "Plus... plus I have multiple cavalry battalions coming into support our retreat. At least a thousand horseback riders and dozens of witches! Neuroi or not, this is my victory!"

"You're a liar and still a fool," the Blackguard seemed hardly convinced. "And lower your damned weapon, do I look like I'm here to fight you? Kunze and I are hardly on great terms, as I frown upon the kidnapping of children and his... 'interest' in them. However, I am no traitor to this army. I will not tell you how to escape, nor will I help you."

"Then why are you here?" Barkhorn demanded.

"Because I know what you want," he replied. "I also know what Jaeger Kunze wants. It's hardly a coincidence that both of those things happen to coincide with one another. You want him dead, he wants you dead. However, both of you want the other to die by your respective hands. Finding him is a simple matter. He's trying to coordinate the mess you and your companion caused from the safety of the courtyard. Do you think yourself brave enough to confront him there?"

"Of course I do!" Barkhorn answered instantly. There was no doubt in her mind about this. She was going to find him and cut him down like the dog he was. "Point me in that direction right now so I can put an end to all of this!"

"Certainly," he seemed almost pleased at this. "Funny you should ask, as the doors are right in this room."

The Blackguard gestured to a set of double doors across from the ones Barkhorn had kicked in to enter. The five guards near it scattered away the moment Gertrud's gaze fell in that direct. She smiled and nodded, "This is it then, the last confrontation. Thank you for your, err, help..."

"Desmond," he told her. "My name is Desmond. I only ask that you don't simply chop my head off in an unthinking rage."

"I think I can oblige that," she replied without looking at him. She hopped up on the first table to cross it, and then the other. Standing before the doors to the courtyard, she looked back to give one last word, "Farewell, Blackguard."

"Farewell, Karlslander."

That was it then, there was nothing else and Barkhorn saw no reason to waste any more time. Her foot collided with the door before, sending it crashing open into the night. Out she stepped, sword and shield in hand, ready to confront anything short of the burning armies of Hell. She had traveled across the dark, and felt confident that Perrine and Eila were doing their duties well. Her plan was to simply slay Kunze and improvise an escape. If anything, it would provide the perfect distraction. She was a Karlslandian knight, a captain no less. If her death would mean the escape of all the others, more than anyone her sister, then it would be entirely worth it. Sacrifice was gracious virtue of a knight, and she would uphold this ideology of martyrdom.

The outside was not what she expected though. In her mind, she was going to fight Kunze in a simple duel in this courtyard, but what she walked into may as well have been the mouth of Hell, complete with teeth. Above here was the swirling Neuroi Hive, and beneath it great dark forms of sheer blackness circling the skies. They were vaguely shaped like arrowheads, flying slowly in a circular formation in time with the Hive, six in all.

They were Annihilators. The most dangerous and destructive of all the Dark Ones. Each one was a good twenty meters tip to tip, but flat in shape. Across their gargantuan forms were faint blue lines in the patterns of hexagons. Several clusters of the hexagons glowed bright red, and Barkhorn knew from there they could fire down blasts of absolute death and destruction. Seldom seen, it was rumored that not a single Annihilator had been destroyed in battle. They strafed the ground, staying high in the air were no harm could come to them. Beyond that, their jeweled hearts were buried deeply behind their armor. Even Lynette whose bow could strike down most opponents from a distance had zero hope of defeating such a Dark One.

The sharp-shooters were patrolling the air as well as the skirmishers. Perhaps hundreds of them. On the ground, all the Elite Blackguards that had attacked them back in Karlsland were there as well. They were either on the ground or patrolling the ramparts of Dunkelheit.

The courtyard was open and bare with the Elites standing around it like it were some sort of arena. It even had ample fighting space for two combatants. Stepping forth from them was just the man Barkhorn had been hoping to see, even if there was not much hope left after she saw just what she was up again. Her plan to simply improvise an escape did not seem so sound anymore. Even if that army she had lied about were coming, it was doubtful they would stand a chance against such a force. No... there was no chance. If those Annihilators chose to join the fray, it was certain death. The only solace Barkhorn could take is that those great devils of destruction were so rarely used. Their force was so absolutely devastating it often destroyed friend and foe alike, making them impractical in most regards. Barkhorn did not know why they did not simply sweep across Europe destroying all resistance. It seemed there was more to them than met the eye.

"My, my, my! We have a guest!" came the voice of Jaeger Kunze as he stepped forward. Adorned in armor that almost made him seem like a Dark One himself, a black cloak fluttered behind him like a solid shadow. His armored hand tugged absent-mindedly at his mustache and he smirked at Barkhorn, "I would extend more hospitality, but my welcome only goes so far for those who have broken in and slaughtered countless soldiers simply just doing their job. Tell me, Barkhorn, do you feel like some grand hero?"

She did her best to hide the sheer hopelessness she now felt at seeing such an overwhelming force. Sword and shield in hand, she walked forward, and the two met midway in the arena.

"I feel like a knight just doing my job," she answered bitterly. "You kidnapped two innocent children under my watch. My code of honor dictated I come here even if it means my death."

"How noble," he commented with mock praise. "Although those two were hardly under your watch. That Suomish girl, the burnt one, seemed to be in charge of their protection, and she laid down her weapons at the first sight of me. All in all, she should be standing in your place. It's sad you must suffer for another's incompetence."

"The saddest is part is that you're correct," Barkhorn replied. The two of them were pacing, slowly strafing in a circle and facing one another. "Aurora Juutilainen is a wholly incompetent bitch trying to play warrior and witch after her prime. Whether or not it's her fault doesn't matter, though. I'm here, and I'm bringing them back after dealing with you."

"Dealing with me?" Kunze laughed as if that were amusing. "That's it then? You simply want to fight me, knowing full well you will die no matter what?"

"I'm pretty hard to kill," Barkhorn matched his smile with her own. "Either way, at least one of us is not going to see the dawn after this night."

"Does it have to be that way?" he asked her as they still paced. "You know that Karlsland will never stand up to us and the Neuroi. Why fight it? You're an incredibly competent young woman with more experience leading soldiers than most of our Blackguard officers. What will happen in a few years when your magic runs dry? Karlsland will cast you aside with a pat on the shoulder and replace you. You'll simply be a peasant toiling the fields for bread and waiting to die. Maybe you'll marry and have children. You'll die of sickness and old age, as will your children and in the end none of it will matter in the slightest. Nothing you will ever do will have made a difference in the long run."

"That's a lie," the witch replied, keeping her calm but feeling anger swelling at his words. Being told her actions were useless was not something appreciated. In some sort of fascination, she listened as he continued.

"No, it's not, young lady. You would do well to listen to one who is much older and has more life experience than you. Did you know I was once a knight of Karlsland as you are now?"

"What does that matter? You're a traitor and a defector."

He laughed again, "And what does that mean? Karlsland will use you as a tool and toss you aside the moment your worth has run out. The Neuroi can offer you more. They see the value in others and well help you reach your full potential. The more people who join us, the less bloodshed there will be in the long run. Right now, as far as I know, your companion Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen should be joining us."

"_You liar_!" Barkhorn spat, taking a lunging step at him and using all her will power to avoid striking him.

Kunze only laughed harder, "Yes! It's true! Wizards are always so greedy for power. Did you know _they_ want her to replace Neuroin himself! It's true, hahaha! If you joined us now, you would be fighting alongside the same companions and be disposing Neuroin either way. If you join us, you will and your sister is safe. Did you know I waited in joining? Because of it, I lost my own little sister. You and I are not so different when you really think about it. Let's not repeat my own mistakes... don't you want to save your sister?"

"_Of course I do_!" she screamed, fists now quaking with rage.

"You are so much like how I once was!" his laughter made her grit her teeth as anger continued to rise and rise. "I was a young knight, so filled with rage and hatred. I couldn't control my anger either."

"_I can control my anger_!" she screamed once more and swung Hartmann's holy sword at Kunze. His own blade drew in a blaze of fire and collided with hers, sending sparks and cinders flying. He wielded a Firebrand, the weapon of Blackguard officers and rumored to be Neuroin's own weapon of choice. A weapon of pure fire that only a witch's magic could stop.

"No you cannot you spiteful little bitch!" he shouted back at her, and their battle began. Barkhorn swung and swung, her sword meeting his each and every time. She did not use her shield, focusing on only cutting him down in her blaze of hatred. Nothing before had felt like this, she was absolutely swallowed in anger. She wanted to see him hacked apart; wanted to bathe in his blood and see a fountain of gore.

The fire of his blade sent hot cinders into her face, burning her eyes and making it hard to see. He was a hellishly good fighter, blocking her attack and forcing her on the defensive right away. Already she felt several hot burns across her ribs and upper thigh from where she had been nicked. She scrambled away backwards, disengaging him to catch her breath.

"This is all the powerful Gertrud Barkhorn has to offer?" Kunze laughed. From his back came fiery wings, another Blackguard signature and he propelled himself upwards some five meters in the air. "All I see is an angry child swinging her weapon around in a tantrum!"

"I'll show you a tantrum!" she called up at him. Using her free moment, she called upon her magical strength for an instant and bit down hard on the straps that kept her shield to her arm. The leather broke, making her jaw ache, and she tossed the kite shield away. She held Hartmann's sword with both hands, knowing one powerful strike backed by her magic would cut him in two. "Come on down you fucking coward. _Fight me_!"

"Fight you?" he repeated with a shrug, "If you insist, _child_."

He came at her in a burst of speed brought by those fiery wings. Like a bolt from a crossbow he sped at her, sword brandished. Barkhorn had barely any time to retaliate, managing to just deflect his blade with hers. The effort put her off balance she stumbled on her side. He flew upwards again in a flash.

"Do you see the power that comes with joining us!?" he shouted down to her. "I can fight with the power of flight like a hawk, and have a weapon that outmatches anything a witch's magic can create. Face it! Your kind are obsolete. We're the apex fighters now!"

"Until you're stripped of your fancy gear and-" Barkhorn had no time to finish her reply when he came down at her again. She needed one hand to support herself on the ground, and the other to raise her sword to block. His aim was not at her head and torso which she was trying to cover, but her wrist. The fiery blade severed her sword hand, and came down at the side of her face, slashing across her right eye.  
Barkhorn screamed in pain and fell fully on her back. Her vision was obscured at her right eye was now rendered gone and useless. Clumsily, she raised her right hand to gaze upon it, and saw there was nothing left. Her stomach flipped and her heart felt heavy as she realized her dominant hand was gone. All that was left was incredible pain at her wrist, but no blood as the Firebrand had burned the wound closed. Even if Yoshika were with them, there was no healing this now. Her hand and eye were gone forever.

All she could do was lie on her back, staring up at the Neuroi Hive and contemplating just what her defeat was going to mean. It was also painful, but physically and emotionally as her breathing came out haggard and rough.

Jaeger Kunze stood above her, blade pointed down at her chest where it caused her tunic to start kindling away to reveal her mail beneath.

"You've lost, Gertrud Barkhorn," he smirked triumphantly. "The ultimatum is delivered here. I either perform the coup de grace and end your life, or you submit to us. A few loss body parts are nothing that cannot be replaced by our benefactors. Your sister will also be completely safe when you are a Blackguard."

This was it, there was never a time but now. The rage was fading, and Barkhorn was left with a clear, cool sense of purpose. Her anger had gotten the best of her and made her sloppy and careless... a mistake that was going to haunt her forever with the loss of her sword hand. However, she still had a perfectly good fist.

"I'll never back down!" she shouted up to him, and used her strength to leap to her feet as she used her good arm to swat his sword away. It burned her left forearm terribly, but now she had the jump on him as he was not expecting this. "I'll never back down!" she shouted again, "_Do you hear me!?_"

The look on his surprised face said 'yes' as she swung her fist hard at his head. His nose shattered in a flower of blood as he fell backwards and dropped his sword. Barkhorn pounced on him. She held her incredibly pained injury to her chest as her left hand's fist hit his face over and over again. Breathing hard, she gritted her teeth and managed to contain her anger. It was all so clear even with one eye. Time seemed to act slow, where each punch was a focused effort even if they were coming a flurry. Barkhorn realized this was how Hartmann must have fought all the time. Fighting in a weird sort of clarity and focus... it was no wonder she was so skilled.

Her fist was about to rain down on him some more, probably killing him when something grabbed her and yanked her back hard. It was one of the Elite Blackguards. Barkhorn conjured up her strength and pushed backwards as hard as she could, using her feet as leverage. She sent the Elite falling backwards with her, making it lose its grip. She was spun around and slammed her fist into its face with the same strength. It crunched hard against him, sending him reeling back and collapsing with a shattered nose and ruined face.

Other Elite Blackguards were rushing her, and she was without a weapon while they had swords and spears. Kunze's weapon lay nearby, but it appeared to just be a black hilt. She knew only Blackguards and Dark Ones could use such weapons. Hartmann's sword was lying nearby as well, but clutching it was Barkhorn's severed pale hand, and the idea of touching that was simply too grotesque and horrifying to even consider, even in these circumstances.

It wasn't long before a spear was pointed straight at her neck. Then another... and another... and several others. The Elites surrounded her a spear point as Kunze rose to his feet. His face was bloodied, bruised, and broken. He smiled his devilish smile, now with ugly broken teeth.

"You little _bitch_!" he spat blood and wiped his face with his forearm. "Your misbegotten pride has just damned you. I'm going to carve your fucking heart out and force feed it to your bitch sister before giving her to the Blackguards to have their way! Maybe the dogs too, as fitting for a _bitch_!"

"_Don't you call Chris that!_" Barkhorn screamed back at him, before being slapped hard in the face by one of her captors. They did not speak or show any emotion, only kept her there at weapon point.

"Bitch! Bitch! Bitch!" Kunze shouted back at her staggering for his weapon. "You can die knowing it's _your_ fault she'll suffer so much!"

Then something happened. The Blackguards simply dropped their weapons in unison. Then, one by one they began collapsing as if all the life from them simply disappeared. Kunze stopped, and began looking around in panic. All of the Elite Blackguards were falling over, apparently lifeless. The actual human ones simply stood in confusion. Above them, the Dark Ones began shattering into brilliant figments of white crystal like material. They noise they made almost sounded like a bell chiming. First it was the skirmishers, then the sharp-shooters... and then even the annihilators. All one by one, they were being destroyed by some unknown force.

"_No!_" Kunze screamed, falling to his knees. "_No! No! NO!_ What's happening!?"

Barkhorn found herself laughing. Most of it came from sheer relief, and some of it came from just the absurdity of it all. The big threats to her all just died simultaneously for apparently no reason at all. She picked up a fallen Elite longsword and stepped towards Kunze. The tip of the steel was pointed at his neck, and she smiled down at him, "All in all, I find it foolish to put your faith in allies that die randomly."

From the way Barkhorn had come, Perrine rushed out alongside her father. Behind them was Sanya and Christiane.

"Deal with him!" Barkhorn commanded and dropped that sword before rushing for her sister. Her gait was clumsy from exhaustion and pain.

"Did you do this all?" Perrine gasped, making her way to Kunze with rapier in hand.

"Dear God, don't ever let me aggravate you, Karlslander," Trist laughed, surveying the countless dead Blackguards. "I think I owe you a drink for this!"

"I didn't do it!" Barkhorn told them a bit sheepishly. She stumbled over and grabbed her sister into a light hug. Christiane hugged her back even tighter.

"Have you seen Eila anywhere!?" Sanya desperately asked her, interrupting the reunion between her and he sister.

Barkhorn shook her head, and was crying from her one good eye. She spoke to her sister in their native tongue (the only one Chris spoke), "_You're safe, Chris! I promised I'd come safe you if anything happened. You're safe now._"

"_Y...Y-you're hurt, Trudie_," Chris replied in a shaky, scared voice and put her gentle palm against her older sister's cheek.

"_It's nothing, Frau,_" amidst the tears, Gertrud was laughing. She easily picked up her sister with her one good arm and kissed her forehead. "_I'd have given that whole arm if it meant a single hair on your head would have been saved. Don't fear anything, we're going to be leaving soon._"

Perrine was beside the silent Kunze, her rapier in hand in case he tried anything. She stared upwards at the sky and gasped, "Dear Father in Heaven..."

The wispy, dark gray smoke of the Neuroi Hive was fading away. The entire thing was disappearing rapidly, and falling beneath it was a small form. Gradually became easier to see, the closer to the ground it came. Light and silver hair with a black dress... it was a familiar Suomish wizard. In her arms looked like her fox familiar.

"She... she..." Barkhorn stuttered as she stepped beside Perrine with Chris in her arm. "Maybe she wasn't just making stuff up about how strong her magic was."

"I don't believe it," Perrine stared dumbly.

"Blimey," Trist was just as dumbfounded.

Eila's descent was magically slowed, and she reached the ground harmlessly. Her bare feet touched the cobblestone and she looked at the stunned others. Arina the Fox hopped form her arms and landed on the ground to stretch her legs. Eila made a similar gesture, stretching her arms and yawning. She looked at Gertrud and said, "_Waidmann's heil_."

"_Hyvää iltaa_," Gertrud replied.

"What did you do!?" Perrine blurted out as Sanya came running for her dearest companion.

"Oh, you know..." Eila shrugged casually. "Blew up all the Neuroi and saved the day. You should have seen it, I was at my best. I was just blowing them all up left and right; annihilators too and-"

She was cut off as Sanya practically jumped into her arms. Eila caught her and was pushed a step back. Sanya was crying, holding her tight and weeping, "Oh, Eila! I was so scared I'd never see you again! Or that you would die coming to rescue us!"

"Hey, hey, you know I don't like tears," Eila tried to tell her as she hugged her back. "There's nothing to cry about now, we saved the day. Some of us just did more to save it than others..."

"Oh get off it," Perrine huffed at Eila. "I was the one who got them out. Gertrud also defeated Kunze it seemed.

"I couldn't have done it alone," the knight admitted. "Both of you are the only reason I made it this far alive."

"Likewise," Perrine nodded.

"Ehh..." Eila made a face then shrugged, "alright, if it weren't for you all I wouldn't have blown up that Neuroi Hive either. Believe it or not, Barkhorn's distraction with Kunze really saved my bacon."

"Really?" Trude seemed surprised by that. "The Dark Ones didn't seem interested in me at all during my fight."

"Y-Yeah... sure. Uh, Barkhorn, are you okay? You kind of look like you're, you know, dying."

"Me?" the knight looked surprised.

"Yes you!" Eila replied.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm okay. Just a little worn out from this battle."

Perrine looked at her and frowned, "You look a little more than worn out. Dear Father in Heaven, he took your hand and eye! You need attention right away. Is there anything we can do to help? Here, let me-"

"No!" Barkhorn insisted with a fierceness. "Not now! We didn't make it this far to slow down and coddle me. Yes my wounds are bad, but we can worry about them later."

Perrine sighed in frustration at the Karlslander but accepted her wishes for now. She looked down at Kunze. Broken and bleeding, he was on his knees with his head down. The man looked absolutely pitiful. "We need to figure out what to do with him."

"I got a few ideas," Eila smirked. She let go of Sanya and stepped forward. Fire burned in her hands as her eyes went white.

"Now you're speaking my language!" Gertrud laughed and set her sister down.

"Stop it you two!" Perrine barked at them. "I swear I am the only one who has not descended into the utmost of barbarism. Send him back to Paris and let him live with his failure. Dunkelheit has fallen, and we must keep moving to Romagna for the final witches. Killing him does nothing for us."

"Are you kidding!?" Barkhorn blurted out and stepped forward to grab Perrine by her collar. "He captures my baby sister, threatens to feed her to dogs and takes my hand and eye and you want him to just walk free!? Excuse me, but I don't think I quite agree with this idea!"

Gertrud was pushed back by Trist who retaliated in a stern voice, "Oi! You keep your hand off my daughter!"

"It's fine, Father," Perrine rose her free hand to silence him. "From all I understand, Neuroin does not tolerate failure of this magnitude. He's worse off being sent back. He'll die either way, I'm certain of it. I simply have no wish to play executioner, nor watch my friends do the same."

Eila's fire subsided, and she stepped back to put an arm around Sanya, "Yeah... burning people alive doesn't really feel like my thing. Send him on back then, let the big bad guy decide his fate. I doubt he'll bother us again."

"Ugh," Gertrud groaned, but stepped back as well. She put her hand on Chris' shoulder and sighed, "Do what you will, victory is ours either way. I simply wish to return home with my sister... and maybe have some drinks with Hartmann."

"I second the latter," Trist spoke up. "Been three bloody days since my last drink. Being stuck in a jail cell makes you pretty thirsty, ladies."

"You hear that, Jaeger Kunze?" Perrine said down to their captive. "You've lost. Gather what provisions that will take you to your dark master and leave this place. If we see you again, it's doubtful we'll be so merciful."

The hierarchy of Dunkelheit was broken, the Neuroi defeated, and the three witches victorious. All that remained was tending to the wounds Barkhorn had suffered, and the handful that Perrine and Trist had gathered in their escape. Each bore a few gashes and bruises from their fight out. There were still the prisoners of war from Karlsland to handle, and the remaining Blackguards. It was doubtful they had much fighting spirit left after their crushing defeat.

Above all else, Perrine wanted a moment away from the chaos and confusion to talk to her father. Just behind that Perrine just wanted a break, a rest from all the fighting and action. She was physically exhausted after so many battles that night. Beyond that, she was splattered with blood, water from the drain they had crawled through, and sweat from the exertion. Her hair was matted and damp against her head. None of her two companions looked much better, save Eila who didn't even look wet from earlier.

Perrine clapped her hands and said, "Alright, there's still work to do here. Gertrud, there's quite a few Karlsland prisoners downstairs in the dungeon. Not to mention the remaining Blackguards. Father, can you help with them?"

"Naturally," he bowed. "Right after me and the lass Sanya find some proper attire. Worry not, I doubt many of these men held a deep allegiance to Jaeger Kunze to begin with."

Perrine nodded, "Good. Let's get to work, no time for rest just yet."

**To Be Continued**

_**Author's Notes/Commentary**- Okay, unless you're a stupid big idiot head, you want some awesome soundtrack to go with your awesome big boss fight. The song for Gertrud and Jaeger is _Stand_ by _Devin Townsend_ both lyrically and musically beat for beat and word for fucking word. Seriously, you're doing yourself a disservice ignoring this. The song starts the moment their dialogue does, and if you read at the same pace I do it fits in perfectly. Jeeze, where have I said this before?_


	17. Onwards and Forwards

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Onwards and Forwards**

"_With my feet upon the ground I lose myself  
Between the sounds and open wide to suck it in.  
I feel it move across my skin.  
I'm reaching up and reaching out.  
I'm reaching for the random or what ever will bewilder me.  
And following our will and wind we may just go where no one's been.  
We'll ride the spiral to the end and may just go where no one's been._"

-_Lateralus _by _Tool_

**52**

From the horizon, the sun's first rays brought a bloody red dawn to Gallia and Dunkelheit. It was the first time in years the area had gotten any kind of sunlight. The Neuroi Hive had given Dunkelheit its name, '_Darkness_' in Karlslandian. Those left agreed the fortress needed a new name. _Sonnenlicht _was chosen by the Karlslanders, both Blackguard and prisoners from the other side of the Rhine. From what Perrine knew, Gertrud had gathered them all up and was now planning on what to do with them all. She had barely allowed anyone to even tend to her wounds, insisting that she was fine. After losing a hand and eye, she was most certainly not. Perrine had only seen her once or twice in the last handful of hours, and she was covered in bandages.

She sat atop the ramparts of Sonnenlicht, watching the sun rise. She was dressed down, tossing asside her black garb for a simple pair of trousers and tunic of light colors. Even her glasses did nothing to detract from how rough her appearance was now. Her hair was in dire need of brushing and being straightened back to its normal working order. On her arms were multiple cuts that were scabbed over with dried blood all around them. Perrine was also covered in dirt and grime from all the fighting. She was sleepy too, having trouble keeping her eyes open after being up all night.

Perrine wondered if Sakamoto would have even recognized her then. She had set out from Brittannia so clean and proper. Now she was indistuingishable from any other warrior around her. Part of her liked this, even the definite muscle tone her arms had begun to develop over the course of her journey. Above all else, she no longer looked like a snobby rich girl playing at being a warrior. Perrine now looked like a woman; tried and tested on the battlefield.

"Mind if I join you, lass?" came a familiar voice. Trist was walking towards her, looking far better than he had earlier that night. He had found himself a Blackguard uniform with brigandine armor and a sword and dagger that he wore at his belt. On his head was a felt, wide-brimmed hat with a plume. It was very similar to the one Perrine wore with her usual attire. Her father looked far more 'knightly' than ever now.

"Not at all," she replied in a soft, tired voice.

"You're probably sick of hearing this, but you look a lot like your mother," he commented and sat beside her, letting his legs rest of the side ramparts. "Now more than ever. She was a little rose with thorns that showed in battle. Evangelyne would doll up so pretty and beautiful for the noble courts, but threw all of that aside when it was time to dance with her rapier. She was a witch, and she had her duty and never held back to do it."

Perrine thought on that, and sighed sadly, "I remember it so clearly. She rushed Neuroin so foolishly. How old was she then? The same age as Sakamoto, I believe, so she was well into her twenties. She had no magic, no way to defend herself. I don't understand, Father, why did she fight him? Sakamoto knew to run, why didn't she?"

"I've wondered that myself," Trist answered in a sad voice. He raised his arm over Perrine's side and glanced at her a little nervously, like he was waiting for the answer as to whether or not he could place his arm around her shoulder. Perrine saw this and scooted a little closer to him, and he placed his arm around her. She leaned her head against him, so wholly glad to be with her true family again.

"I was not there, as you know," he told her as they watched the sun rise together. "We were holding the Dark Ones back, not far from there, only distracting them so others could get away. I suppose we were successful in some regard, but not many other warriors made it out of Caen that day. When our lines were broken, all order fell apart and we scattered. Some took to looting, but I and the others went to find our families to help them escape personally. When I returned our estate, I... I found her body there. Even in death she looked so beautiful and carefree, having suffered but one single injury. You were gone, but I heard word from friends that a Fuson woman had indeed fled with a small blonde child. Relief hardly chased away my sorrow after that day."

"Why didn't you follow us?" Perrine asked him. She was starting to feel tears of emotion build. Some of it was frustration; frustration at the fact she couldn't walk back in time and tell everyone what was going to happen. If they had just fled before the attack happened, her mother would have still been alive and they still would have been a family together. She still had her father now, but they were ten years removed and even in their embrace, still so different.

"And do what?" her father asked her. "Start anew in Britannia? I had little wealth in the form of gold, and after the attack the Dark Ones and Blackguards were not simply going to let me cross the straight with a boat full of paintings. I trusted Sakamoto with your care, and knew there was little I could do for you. I knew she would raise and train you to be a witch... that it was something she had always wanted to do. God, she had always been so damned critical of us when you were but a babe. She and Eva were hardly on speaking terms, and she had the nerve to say were not parenting correctly while having no children of her own. It meant to me she had passion and cared for you in her own way. Despite the things that drove her and your mother apart, Sakamoto wouldn't ever stop caring about her and, by proxy, you. Anyway, we able-bodied men were recruited in the Blackguards under the threat of death or slavery out in the fields. I was lucky. Being a knight who grew up in Paris, they decided it was best for me to guard there.

"While in Paris escape and passage to Britannia became more and more difficult. I did my best to help the people there and make a difference, and I think I succeeded in that in some ways. It made it harder to leave though. I was promoted to captain of the guard, and I was able to ease the stress of the common man under our new overlords. If I left, who would replace me? There was no answering that, and I was terrified all my work would be undone if some heartless, power-hungry mongrel took my spot. As years passed, I realized that if I left, it would be for entirely selfish reasons. Sakamoto and I managed to write to one another occasionally, about once a year, and I knew you were doing well. You didn't need your daddy anymore."

"That's not true," Perrine felt emotion overtake her, and the tears began to flow. She remembered watching Sakamoto sit by the fire and crumple up a letter she had read before tossing it to burn. "Sakamoto may have raised me to be a warrior and a witch, but all I ever wanted was my family back! The whole reason I trained so hard was to avenge your deaths, and... now I've learned you weren't even dead at all!"

"Yes, but your mother still is," Trist sternly pointed out. He did nothing to attempt to comfort Perrine as she cried. "Tell me this was not all about vengeance, Perrine? Tell me you wanted to strike down Neuroin to end all this fighting and free our people?"

"Of course that's what I want!" she cried. "I just... I just don't understand! Why would Sakamoto keep me from you? It all would have been so easier if I had known you were alive!"

"Would it have been?" he asked her. "I may have been, but that was her choice to keep my true fate hidden from you. Truth be told I often wondered whether or not Sakamoto had told you, and after years I finally asked her in writing and she told me she had not. She told me I was nothing to you any longer... that you had grown on and were developing into a fine young lady."

"_Damn her_!" Perrine cursed and screamed. She sat up straight and pushed his arm away. Now she was fuming with anger at Sakamoto. At first, all the secrets being kept had made her feel ashamed and inadequate, like she was undeserving of knowing. Now, all she felt was anger that the woman who had raised her was arbitrarily hiding the truth from her whenever it seemed like an inconvenience. On the ramparts, she paced and ranted, "What am I to Sakamoto Mio!? God in Heaven I feel like her _tool_! I feel as if I were raised to simply be a weapon against Neuroin! Yes, I will defeat him but I will burn that note she wrote to me. Eila can defeat Neuroi Hives and Barkhorn can provide us with an army. Why should I wait to gather these witches when the three of us can simply march to Paris and end this in only a few days from now!?"

"What were you to her?" her father repeated and stood up to face her. "By God Perrine, you were a daughter to her!"

That was a stab in the heart.

"Of course she kept me bloody secret, she hated me from the get-go!"

"Why though!?" Perrine finally demanded the answer to this question. "Why does she hate you so much!?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Trist asked her, turning away to look over at the sunrise again. "Sakamoto loved Evangelyne."

"Yes, I know that," Perrine replied, feeling her anger starting to subside. Now it was replaced simply with curiosity.

"No, you do not. Not fully anyhow," he said and began to explain. "No, Sakamoto did not just love her, she was _in_ love with your mother. She had been in love with her when they met as young girls hardly older than that Sanya lass or Miss Bishop. Sakamoto was such a strict disciplined type, and your mother never found that quite attractive. Sakamoto was also never good about expressing her feelings. She would trip and stumble over words, giving awkward compliments and babbling on and losing Eva's interest; or so Eva told me. To her, I was adventurous and fun, and through my confidence and boldness as a young man... I won her heart."

"S-So..." Perrine swallowed hard and felt her stomach flip. This was too much to handle. She didn't know how to react the fact that Sakamoto was only a lesbian, but had been in love with Perrine's mother. Around her, it felt like the world was spinning. "What... h-how did it all end? What drove them apart?"

Trist sighed and shook his head, "Well, we've come to the interesting part, lassie. We had our wedding in a grand chapel, and it was a beautiful spring day. Evangelyne was very hurt when her childhood friend did not arrive to take part in her special day. Oh, but she did arrive though! Not long after we exchanged our vows, she staggered through the front doors... hopelessly drunk and near incoherent. She babbled on to all around us how she had been in love with Evangelyne for as long as she had known her, and that she was making a mistake and that I was a bad man for her. Your mother was terribly embarrassed and ashamed by all of this, and even when apologies were given and amends made... their friendship was essentially over."

"Dear Lord..." Perrine whispered, absolutely speechless. It felt like everything she ever knew about Sakamoto had changed in the course of fifteen minutes. In the ten years they had been together, Sakamoto had done a fantastic job of hiding all of this. There was no mention of her ever being attracted to other women; or even having much of a friendship with Perrine's mother at all. Perrine knew Sakamoto often partook in wine before sleeping, but never did Perrine even see her close to being drunk. She was so disciplined and composed, but it seemed even she had her vices and her breaking point.

"Hey!" came Eila's voice, startling Perrine. She was walking towards them on the ramparts, still wearing her black dress and not looking any different. "Trude wants to talk about what's happening next. You busy, Perrine?"

"I...I..." Perrine could not form words.

"She's free," Trist answered with a smile. "Run along Perrine, if you need me I'll be up here. Think I'll have a bit of a snooze. Last night's really worn me out."

"Me as well," Perrine muttered, feeling numb as she walked to meet Eila. The conversation that had just changed her life was now over like nothing had happened.

"You okay?" Eila asked her as they walked together, heading for the stairs against the inner wall of the ramparts that would take them to the courtyard.

"Y-Yeah..." she blinked, taking a deep breath and composing herself. In a casual whisper, she said, "I just learned Sakamoto was a lesbian who was in love with my mother."

Eila shrugged like this meant nothing to her, "Jeez, you think you know a person, huh?"

"Yeah... I'm not sure what this changes though."

"Why does that have to change anything?" Eila asked her as they descended down the stairs. In the courtyard, Barkhorn was surrounded by ex-prisoners and discussing something with them. Her sister, Chris, was sitting on her shoulder and the knight-captain did not look at all fettered by her grievous wounds. There was a long scar across her face and a black eye patch over her right eye.

"I suppose it doesn't," Perrine sighed, feeling that she was telling this to herself more than replying to Eila. "Where's Sanya?"

"Sleeping," Eila told her. "She's pretty shaken up by this whole thing. I stayed by her side until she fell out because she's still afraid of Kunze coming after her. I guess tying him up and throwing him into a cell wasn't enough to make her feel safe. I think we're going too easy on the bastard."

"Time will tell if this punishment suffices. I take full responsibility if it does not," Perrine said as they met both Barkhorn sisters.

"How're you holding up, Perrine?" Gertrud asked her with a weary and friendly smile.

"I could ask you the same," Perrine replied. "You look like you've been thrown through Hell. No offense."

"None taken," she chuckled. "That's not far from the truth."

On her shoulder, Chris simply watched them curiously. From what Perrine understood, she did not speak a word of English.

"I'm fine, in case anyone was wondering about the wizard," Eila pouted.

"We know you're fine!" Perrine huffed. She then felt a strange smile cross her face, and she grabbed Eila into a playful headlock with one arm. "Eila here makes it sound like she could have done this all herself!"

"I never said that!" Eila laughed and struggled in vain to get free. "Lemme go! I can smell your armpits and after being awake this long I'm not in the mental state to deal with it!"

"Poor Eila can blow up the Neuroi hive, but can't escape me," Perrine chuckled, and let Eila go before giving her a playful push away. Both Barkhorn sisters were laughing.

"Jeez, now you've gone and got my hair all messed up. Thankfully I have a spell for this," Eila muttered and shook her head. Christiane Barkhorn gasped in amazement as she watched Eila work a quick and simple spell that fixed her hair.

"Alright, enough playing, you two," Gertrud chuckled and patted her sister's thigh with her one hand. "Here's the situation. We have some fifty-odd prisoners that we're going to march back across the Rhine with. Among that, there's another hundred or so Blackguards defecting to our side. As for Kunze, him and Captain Desmond are going to return to Paris where Desmond will tell Neuroin of Kunze's absolutely crushing defeat in his attempts to... ugh, 'get with' a fourteen year-old Orussian girl."

For a moment, a wave of heat came from Eila as her face went cross.

"Sounds good, sounds good," Perrine smiled and nodded. "Are we abandoning this place?"

Barkhorn shook her head, "From what I understand, no. Some Blackguards are going to remain to at least keep this fortress operational. Without the Neuroi Hive, its value is significantly lowered. This was also where the majority of the Dark Ones hitting us in Karlsland were coming from. Eila, do you think you could make lightning strike twice?"

"Huh?" Eila tilted her head.

"I mean, could you destroy any other Neuroi Hives we find?" Gertrud asked her.

Eila froze, looking speechless as she stammered, "Oh... d-do that again? Well, uh..." she smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. "...I guess I could, but I wouldn't count on it! Come on guys, I could have died like fifty times up there."

"Eila has a point," Perrine stood up in her defense. "Such a feat is incredible, even for a wizard. We should count this as a miraculous victory, but not force Eila to be our weapon."

"I was just asking," Gertrud sighed. "Let's focus on more immediate matters. Perrine, I must keep up my end of the bargain I made. I will travel with you further to gather the rest of our team. Then... it's back to Gallia to finish this?"

Perrine nodded, "Yes, although I am confident enough to say the three of us could be sufficient enough for this task. Still, there is strength in numbers, and it is safer this way."

"Agreed," Eila said. "Worst case scenario is that one of us dies. One of out of, say, twelve dying is a tragedy but if it were just the three of us and someone died... well, that'd just be the end of it all."

"No one is dying," Gertrud said, sounding like she really meant that. "The next leg of our journey should be simple, right? Just stopping and gathering more witches?"

"That's right," Perrine confirmed. "I've read over that letter so many times I've memorized it." Moments ago she had been ranting that she would forget about the letter, but that anger was already past. "We're gathering two more witches in Rome. One Charlotte Yeager, and... The Queen of Thieves."

"Wait, wait, wait, the Queen of Thieves!?" Barkhorn gasped. "We're supposed to recruit some brigand royalty to go with us? Is this a good idea?"

Eila answered, "From what I hear the royal thief family only steals from rich greedy bastards and the enemies of Rome. I don't think any of us quite fall into that category."

"No, we don't," Perrine nodded. "Sakamoto was the companion of the current Queen's mother, although she fell in battle years ago. It left her young daughter in charge with the help of the last Queen's most trusted advisers. Gaining their trust will be no small task, but the magic of their family will aid us greatly. Sakamoto wrote that it is the magic of all sorts of manipulation. They can change just what we see and hear to cause all sorts of mischief. Getting into the Black Castle will be nearly impossible without her magic and the magic of Charlotte Yeager."

"And what can this Yeager do?" Barkhorn asked, speaking her name like it tasted badly.

"She can use Dark One gear and communicate with them naturally," Perrine told her. "The two of them are going to be our way to get close to Neuroin without an army of Dark Ones blowing us to pieces. Sakamoto wrote that their current whereabouts in Rome are unclear, but they are crucial to this mission. The way I see it, if I managed to drag Eila a thousand miles and recruit you, Gertrud, this shouldn't be much more difficult."

"Let's hope that's the case," Gertrud replied.

"I came here because I wanted to, not because you dragged me," Eila corrected in a haughty voice.

"That's it then," Perrine said. "I think that concludes just about all our business here. We'll ride back for Karlsland the first chance we have, gather the rest and press on. Even this victory is no excuse to slow down. Gertrud, what will you do with your sister?"

Gertrud patted Chris' thigh again and thought for a moment, "I suppose there's not much I can do for now save have some of my trusted riders take her back home I will write to our family to tell them she is safe, and will continue to be so. Don't worry, I didn't plan to have her ride into battle with us. I wouldn't dream of such a thing... she's seen too much of that already."

"Haven't we all?" Perrine sighed. She yawned and covered her mouth, "Please excuse me, but I'm finding that fatigue is fast creeping up on me. I'll need rest before we set out. When are we planning to leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," Barkhorn answered.

That worked perfectly for Perrine. She bid Gertrud and Eila farewell, and simply went to look for a quiet and cool place to curl up and sleep. Seeking privacy, she left past the walls of the fortress to the hills in which they had crept across the night before. As she walked, she thought about what the meeting with her and Sakamoto was going to be like when they reunited. She had learned so much about her along the way; both good and bad, and she was left unsure what to think. The revelation that she had loved Perrine's mother was still hard to swallow.

She couldn't help but try and picture what it would be like to be in love with another girl. The idea was impossible. While Perrine knew that those of her religion frowned upon it terribly, it had never been something she had thought much on. What would a romantic affair with a woman be like? Perrine simply couldn't picture herself in something like that. It was partly because she couldn't imagine sharing a special connection with any of her companions beyond friendship.

Her heart skipped a beat and she nearly tripped over her feet when she pictured Eila for a moment. She had thought just briefly over the fact they were indeed becoming very close. Walking alone up a hill, her face burned red as she shook away those thoughts. Her head had been trying to picture what being in love with Eila would have been like, and Perrine did not like that one bit.

Sleep was what she needed to stop her mind from thinking delirious and silly thoughts. She was exhausted, and simply let herself fall into the grass. Perrine fell asleep near instantly, reclining into a restful and dreamless sleep. She slept all throughout the day, and when night came she was awaken briefly. Still half-asleep, she barely registered the fact that Eila had found her and left her a bedroll with a cozy blanket to ward off the night cold. It was those little things Eila did that Perrine appreciated dearly.

**53**

"What are you doing?" Gertrud laughed in Karlslandian as her sister played with her hair from behind. It felt surreal being with her little sister again. Chris had been little more than a toddler when they had rode together all those years ago. She was still young, but no longer a small child who was entirely dependent on others and barely able to speak.

Trude was sitting on a stool in the courtyard as the rest made the last preparations to head out to Karlsland within the hour. She had hardly seen Eila during this, and none of Perrine. It was early morning, the beginning of their second day there and hopefully the last.

"Hold still, Trudie!" Chris giggled back. "I'm gonna make you look cute!"

"Psh, good luck," Trude sighed. "I think even Papa's admitted to himself I'm not going to be the one to give him grandchildren. Now I look even less pretty with... you know..."

Gertrud raised her arm, looking at where her hand had once been with her single eye. She was at a loss as to what to do about this. That was her dominant hand. The only thing she could think to do was master fighting with her left hand, and using her right arm as her shield arm. Losing an eye was going to make fighting more difficult as well. Her peripheral vision was much smaller now, and her depth perception left her tripping over things already. This was going to be a problem.

"I think the scar and eye patch look cool," Chris told her, and that made Gertrud smile.

"Cool, huh?"

Her sister nodded, "Yeah! I wish I could have seen you fight Kunze!"

"I don't know about that," Gertrud bit her lower lip, quite thankful Chris _hadn't_ seen that disaster. "You're still a kid though, you shouldn't be watching fights to begin with!"

Chris giggled at that, and then stepped away. She clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Look! Look!"

"If you insist..." Gertrud picked up the hand mirror that was sitting on her lap. Chris had insisted they find one before they started, and that they did. Trude glanced at her reflection and frowned at the scar across the right side of her face and the eye patch she was wearing now. Something was different though. Her sister had pulled her hair back and adorned it into two tails, tied with blue ribbons. It was surprisingly good looking, especially compared with how she used to wear it plain before. It looked _distinct_.

"Like it?" her sister excitedly asked her.

Gertrud looked back and smiled at her, "Yeah... yeah, I do Chris. I think I'm going to wear it like this all the time from now on."

"Really?" Chris smiled hard.

"Really, really." Trude nodded, and reached out to ruffle her sister's hair with her hand. Her hand went behind Chris' back, and she pulled her close into a hug. They were certainly not alone, as the freed prisoners were gathering the rest of their things in the courtyard. To the Barkhorn sisters, it felt like just to the two of them. For Gertrud, it was mostly because she was so used to constantly being around soldiers.

She whispered to her little sister, "I missed you, Chris. I'm so sorry our meeting had to be like this. I wanted to come see you and Mama and Papa for Christmas. That would have been far more pleasant than having to fight my way through this nightmare and... and..."

Gertrud paused, her right hand itched and she felt a shiver down her spine as there was nothing to scratch at.

Chris was there to recover the mood. In her cheery, light voice, she said, "You lied to me Trudie. You said you'd be my knight in shining armor, but you're wearing black."

"Sometimes, we don't have a choice," Trude chuckled, and tried to pat her sister's back with a hand that wasn't there. Her sister did wonders to comfort her, but there was a deep sense of anxiety of her loss of limb. It made her want to tug at her hair and scream in frustration. All of her willpower was going to burying these feelings. "I made it in the end, and that's all that matters, Chris. With any luck, this'll be the last time I gotta come to your rescue. But if anything happens, you know I'll be there no matter what. I love you, Chris."

"I love you too, Trudie," Chris looked up to her. The two sisters touched noses, and just smiled at each other. Gertrud felt her heart swell with emotion, and for the first time in so long, she felt true happiness. She felt what it meant to be a knight, and was reminded of just what she was protecting. Even if Chris was kidnapped and taken to Fuso to be guarded by a thousand Blackguards and Dark Ones, she'd fight through them all to reach her. Family, above all else, was the most important of all things. She felt respect towards Perrine for doing all she did to rescue her father.

"You two are as pretty as a picture," came Eila's chuckling voice as she approached them. She was still in her black dress, and Sanya was at her side. Gertrud was used to Sanya being dressed in light colors, but now she only had Blackguard squire clothes that were just her size. Black didn't fit her the way it did Eila. The younger witch smiled at Trude, but said nothing. There was a slightly dreamy look in Sanya's eyes. It made Gertrud wonder just she was holding up.  
"Shush you," Trude replied, and let go of Chris. "Where's Perrine? I don't think I'll be truly comfortable again until we reach Karlsland soil."

"Sanya says she's around," Eila answered, and Sanya silently nodded. "I like what you've done with your hair, by the way."

"Thank Chris, she styled it," Trude smiled.

"_Danke_," Eila told Chris. The younger girl smiled and nodded, not knowing the context of the thanks. Eila then looked to the older Barkhorn and said, "She seems like a good kid. It's disgusting that she got thrown through all of this. How's she holding up?"

"Alright," Gertrud answered with a curt nod. "She was not Kunze's interest, nor was she beaten like Perrine's father was. She actually told me some of the Blackguards were quite kind to her. Their captain, Desmond, made sure she was unharmed and cared for well. Besides being a little shaken up from all of this, she's not doing so badly. How are you doing, Sanya?"

Sanya didn't answer. She just smiled her soft smile and shrugged.

"I see," the knight replied, a little unnerved by her silence. "As it goes, we'll leave as soon as we are able. It doesn't seem like Perrine to be lazing about, now where is she?"

"Behind you," Perrine answered, joining them. She was once again dressed in the same garb she had worn that night they had stormed the fortress. It looked like it had seen a wash since then. "I believe everything is in order. By your command, we can leave."

**54**

The party bound for Karlsland had barely stepped past the gates when Perrine realized something. Her father was not with them. She scanned over the marching group over and over again and saw no sign of him. She called for them to stop, pleading that it was important and urgent. Perrine somehow he was not just lounging behind and having a drink. No, she realized just what he was doing.

Perrine sprinted back into the courtyard where the much smaller party bound for Paris was still waiting. With them was the captain, Desmond, looking uninterested about all of this. Near him was Jaeger Kunze, tied tightly in rope and gagged. His face was a mess, swollen, bruised, and all around mangled from Barkhorn's punches... as well as a few other punches from various ex-prisoners as well as a few from Eila. Perrine had found no sport in beating a defeated man. Not far from those two, was another man amongst the Blackguards returning to the capital.

It was her father.

"What are you doing!?" Perrine demanded, marching right up to him. "You... you're leaving again! After all this, you're going to abandon me again!?"

"Perrine," he took a deep breath, like he had been expecting this. He waved his hand, gesture her to follow so they could leave this spot and talk in something resembling privacy. She followed him, as they began walking towards one of the towering walls, he said, "Perrine, just what could I do that would help your cause at all if I went with you. This is a witch's fight, and all I am is a way for Neuroin and his blighters to hurt you. We've found that out already quite well, 'aven't we?"

"Yes, but... but..." Perrine couldn't deny that. There was more than just fighting though, "Father, I need you! I've lost Sakamoto, I don't know where she is, and I need someone to help me. I can't do this alone!"

"You're not alone," he told her. "You have your companions with you, and they'll guide you far more than I can. Now, don't quote me on this, lass, but I hear rumors of a certain 'advisor' working for Neuroin that matches the description of our Fuson friend quite well. A witch, samurai-sword, one eye? Mate of mine says she's tactically a complete mess. She orders around Dark Ones without Neuroin's permission and keeps spreading his forces thin while the 'Strike Witches' somehow move between them all mostly unharmed. That sounds a bit like a guardian angel, don't it?"

Perrine sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Father, find a pen and paper and write down everything you think I don't know as it comes to mind. The next time we meet, I want to read this right away. God, I would have loved to hear this weeks ago! I said all those awful things about her, and you're saying she's been helping the whole time!?"

"Now I didn't say that," he smirked a familiar smirk. "Those also aren't rumors I'd go spreading around either, lass. I've met her though, in Paris. She's a woeful looking thing, toiling there just as hard as you are out here in all your battles. You'd think with us workin' to do basically the same thing, she'd at least look me in the eye, but no. We met a few times around, but she just kinda pretended I wasn't there. Look, Perrine, let me go back to Paris. I promise I'll make sure to do everything I can to make sure Mio Sakamoto is safe. I got some influence with some good mates, and you know what, I'll do my damn best to make sure you two can have your big happy reunion."

"Father..." Perrine supposed this was a suitable compromise. She still wanted nothing more than to be with him and make up for the lost years, but... but duty came first. They were fighting a war, and so much was at stake. Perrine knew sacrifices had to be made, and personal feelings had to be put aside in certain cases. When this was all over, they could all sit together, drink, and laugh and tell war stories.

She took a deep breath, and stepped forward to hug him tight, "Father, just make sure you come out of this alive, you hear me!? Take care of Sakamoto for me, and... maybe when this is all over we can try again? Be a family. You could remarry too, have a son to carry on our family's name."

Trist laughed at that and hugged Perrine back, "That doesn't sound so bad, Perrine. God, so much is on your shoulders and you're just marching on like it's nothing. I won't be one bit surprised if you're the one that kills Neuroin. I'm so proud of you, and I love you so much. You have no idea how thankful I am we had this chance to meet again."

"Likewise," Perrine whispered, feeling like she was about to cry. "I love you too, _daddy._"

That was it, Perrine had to let go of her father once more. It stabbed her heart to do so, but there was still so much left for both of them to do. There were just too more witches, and then their return to Britannia to figure out just what to do next. Sakamoto claimed in her letter she would meet them once they were all gathered, but Perrine doubted just how capable she'd be of doing that.

Even if she never showed up, Perrine felt confident she could organize the Strike Witches into a fighting force that could strike down Neuroin. She had with her the best team she could imagine already.

Eila, the wizard who stuck with her through it all. The wizard who hid her feelings behind a visage of apathy as she put distance between her and her emotions. Perrine knew that Eila cared dearly for all her companions, no matter how much she hated showing it. She was her most trusted friend. Even if she boasted a little too much about her magic, and rarely backed it up, she was still incredibly competent and Perrine could not have made it that far without her.

Aurora, poor Aurora who had already seen enough battles to last a lifetime. Drunken and quick to anger and spit fire, she earned Perrine's respect with her willingness to jump back into battle to protect others regardless of the injuries she suffered. Aurora had proved a valuable ally in battle, sticking with Perrine to the bitter end against whatever was thrown against them. She didn't deserve the pain and suffering she had been dragged through in all of this. Perrine just hoped she could find peace at the end of the journey.

Sanya, the small and beautiful witch who vigilantly stood guard for the group every night so they could rest easy. Caring and quiet, she lifted the burden off the rest in her own way. She kept their spirits from breaking with her kind words and soft voice. It was no wonder Eila cared so deeply for her. Perrine hoped Kunze would pay for what he did to her.

Miyafuji, the one that Perrine had been jealous of at the start. What had that been about? Attention? Perrine was amazed at just how petty she had been at the start of the journey; and how cruel she had been towards the young Fuson girl. Miyafuji had proved herself an essential asset more than once with their healing magic. More than one of them would have been lying dead in some field somewhere if it weren't for her. Perrine owed Miyafuji her life personally, and probably on more than one occasion too. They weren't going to reach the end without her.

Lynnete, the girl whose hand once stayed in fear. She had come a long way from the sniveling coward that Perrine had to slap some sense into at Folkstone. Lyn had risen above them all, becoming a force of sheer destruction with her bow in hand. Her kill count far surpassed the rest, save maybe Barkhorn in total. Despite that, she did not have the heart of a killer. She was a young girl with a strong sense of purpose. Humble and modest, she seemed so out of place on the battlefield, yet was nearly their ace.

Gertrud, the knight-captain of Karlsland. She had fast become a trusted companion of Perrine as they were thrust through the fire together. Stubborn, headstrong, and unconcerned with her own safety, she definitely could be frustrating to deal with. However, she backed up these flaws with her spirit of a warrior and her honor as a knight. They had only known each other for a short time, but Perrine felt like there was an unspoken bond between them. Though the two were hardly friends, there was a mutual trust and respect that was going to take them far. Perrine knew it.

Last was Erica Hartmann. She was the knight Perrine knew little about, but respected greatly. Erica was by far the most skilled fighter, shaming Perrine in every sparring match with almost no effort. She fought with a sort of clarity Perrine didn't understand, like she could just shut everything else off in her brain and focus on her enemy solely. There was a lot to learn from her, and Perrine hoped that the Karlslander could teach her to be at least half the warrior she was by the end of all of this.

Perrine was able to walk away without tears. She had her duty and her father had his. When it was over they could meet again and be able to start anew. It was something that Perrine had to look forward to. She smiled as she went to regroup with her friends. She had something to fight for that wasn't just revenge.

**55**

"What the..." Gertrud Barkhorn could barely form words as she gazed at what was before her. They had reached the Rhine after their three day march back through Gallia. Her war camp was nothing close to how she remembered it. The war camp was now a bustling sea of tents made of Karlsland colors. It was midafternoon as they arrived, and it looked like Barkhorn's forced had been reinforced by _thousands_.

She crossed the shallow river with Eila and Perrine just behind her. She needed to find Hartmann to know just what was going on. Gertrud did not look at all like an intimidating leader as she stomped through the water with Chris on her shoulders. Erica was not who came to meet her though. A frustratingly familiar warrior rode forward on her horse. She was dressed in light mail with a Karlsland tunic. Her hair was long and bright, almost a mix of white and pink from the sun. Above her flew a golden eagle, her constant companion. She rode with a sword on her back, a zweihänder made more for engaging cavalry while on foot. Barkhorn knew perfectly well that in this witch's hands, it was a weapon of utter devastation. Beside her sword on her back was a kite shield to go with the sword at her belt. Even if she couldn't see it now, Barkhorn knew there was a lion crest on that shield. Their rivalry back as squires had given birth to the name of Gertrud's sword, _Lionslicer_."

Her rival and equal rode forward; Hanna Marseille.

"Barkhorn!" she wore a very smug grin, like she was looking down at a lesser. "I was wondering when you and your friends would stop in by."

"Marseille," Gertrud inhaled sharply and bit her lower lip. "I'm sure there's a reason you've brought all your men and witches to my side of Karlsland? A reason that could probably be explained when me and my companions are not knee deep in filthy water."

"Yes, yes," Marseille nodded and pulled on the reins of her horse to turn it around. "You've really bloodied up the Rhine. Come on then, you can warm your wet feet around a fire."

Gertrud followed with her companions, including the several dozen prisoners. The moment she was on dry land, she appointed one of her lieutenants to see to having them outfitted and acquainted to their new station there. She hardly recognized a face out the army there now, and felt like a stranger. Marseille commanded a much larger force, usually working in Northern Afrika. Now they were here in what she considered her home. This no longer seemed to be under command.

"A day late and a pound short, I say," Perrine commented from behind them as they marched up the hill. "This force would have been enough to win that fight when we were assaulted."

"They would have just brought more to match it," Eila replied. "Probably one of the big annihilators too."

Barkhorn ignored her two friends and asked, "Why are you here Marseille? Did you bring your whole force?"

"I did," she nodded, not looking Gertrud in the eyes for a second.

"Okay, as a knight-commander of the Karlsland cavalry, I order you-"

"No you don't," the newcomer cut her off in an amused voice. "I'm the same rank as you. You should be thankful too, I came to reinforce you so you can push forward to Romagna. Come on, you know you can't march your cavalry across Europe casually. Hartmann told me the whole story, and if you're back with your sister, then I assume your quest ended successfully. I would have gone with you, but you were gone the time I arrived. We scuffled with Jaeger Kunze back in Afrika some time ago, and were able to beat his plans out of one of his men. All in all, we made good time coming here."

"It doesn't matter," Gertrud shook her head.

When training as a knight, Hanna had always been someone Barkhorn simply could not respect. She was arrogant, brash, and always frustratingly competitive towards everyone around her. She always had to be the fastest rider; the best fighter; the first done with her chores, ect... Any victory had her bragging, and sheer personal spite had Barkhorn currently refusing to let Marseille command _her _troops.

"Just go back to Afrika," Barkhorn told her, cross and stern. "My lieutenants can command this army just fine in my absence."

"Army?" Marseille chuckled and shook her head. "No offense, _Trudie_, but almost half your men and witches were killed in that last attack. A single counter attack would be the end."

"Don't call me that," she growled through her teeth.

"There _will_ be another counter attack, too," the other girl continued. "I've bent enough Blackguard arms backwards to understand their moves."

"Dunkelheit's fallen. The Neuroi Hive was defeated by my friend here," Barkhorn smirked and gestured to Eila. "Honestly, my team of witches is so spectacular we really don't need you in this war."

"_Your _team?" Perrine repeated, not liking the sound of that at all.

"Uh, hold on a second there," Eila frowned, stepping beside the Karlslander. "I think we need to all sit down and really talk about that whole 'Neuroi Hive' thing."

"Well, damn," Marseille laughed. She dismounted and outstretched her hands to shake both of Eila's. "I met your sister here and she said you were pretty amazing, but you destroyed a _Neuroi_ _Hive_!? You gotta tell me how you did it!"

"Wizard magic," Eila answered instantly and swatted Marseille's hands away. "Also, how about we not just tell everyone we meet about this? It wasn't easy you know, and I don't wanna be some big damned hero!"

"I agree," Perrine spoke up. "It would give the enemy incentive to resort to dirty, underhanded tactics such as assassination to deal with Eila. Come to think of it, they practically already have with that wizard."

"Exactly!" Eila huffed, crossing her arms. "The last thing I need is having to sleep with one eye open. Isn't that right Sanya?"

Sanya, who was behind Eila nodded silently. Her presence had been so minimal none of the others had even noticed her until Eila had said something. She had been a ghost on their journey home, continuing her new and uncomfortable silence.

"So what's the deal?" Barkhorn asked Marseille, setting Chris down at her side. "You just decided to reinforce us here?"

The other knight nodded, "That's about it, yeah. I wanted to try my hand at defeating Kunze at Dunkelheit but you already did that. Is Kunze dead?"

Barkhorn shook her head, "Not dead, but defeated and out of the picture. Is that it then, is this your new post?"

"It is," Marseille nodded again.

Finally, Barkhorn smiled at her, "Well, if that's the case... I think I got somewhere better for you to garrison than a hill in front of a dirty river. Dunkelheit has fallen, and now we're calling it _Sonnenlicht._ Tell me, just how many soldiers are you commanding and how valuable is an outpost that far into Gallia to us?"

Marseille smiled back, "Three and a half thousand, and only a thousand are foot soldiers; the rest cavalry. That's not including my own team, _The Storm Witches_ either. I reckon we could do some serious damage there. Tell me more about this..."

**56**

Perrine, Eila, and Sanya had accompanied Gertrud and her sister back to what had been Barkhorn's command tent. Now it was under new management. Hanna and her team of witches were in command now. She had just as motley as an assortment of companions as Perrine did. There were four others: two Fuson witches, a Karlslander, and a native dark-skinned witch from Afrika. The latter had a European name, Matilda, and was dressed in the same Karlsland knight uniform as her companions. Still, it was a little hard for Perrine not to stare. She had never seen a witch from Afrika before.

Barkhorn and Marseille discussed just how the remainder of Barkhorn's knights were going to be passed over... as well as finding a team to escort Chris safely back home. Then Barkhorn and Perrine perused over a map of central Europe and decided (with some input from Eila) the route they were going to take across the mountains to Romagna. There were few safe roads, and the Blackguards controlled more than a few with Neuroi help.

It was going to be a long, hard journey that would take over a month. When the plans were all done and made, night had fallen and it was finally time to go see the other witches. There was an excited element to each of their gaits as they went to meet at that fire pit they had gathered on nights before at the warcamp.

Indeed, their friends were there (save Aurora), sitting quietly and watching the bonfire glow.

"_Waidmanns_ _heil_," Trude said, and offered Hartmann's sword back to her.

"_Waidmanns heil!_ Trudie, there you are!" Erica laughed and jumped to her feet, grabbing her captain into a tight hug. She gave her a big smacking kiss on the cheek and exclaimed. "We heard you were back, but this camp is so big and busy with all of Hanna's forces here. Oh, wow, what happened to your face!? And your hand!?"

"Long story," Barkhorn sighed, and hugged her lieutenant back.

"Perrine, Eila, Sanya, you're all okay!" Yoshika laughed next and rushed over to greet them.

"What?" Eila smirked, and playfully patted Yoshika's head. "Thought some dumb Blackguards and the possibility to rule the whole world were gonna stop me?"

"Uh, what?" Perrine tilted her head in confusion.

Eila laughed sheepishly, "Sorry, I get silly when I'm excited. It's not like some omni-dimensional representative of the Neuroi offered me power in exchange for the lives of my friends. Even if she did, I'd say no!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Perrine sighed and shook her head. She then smiled at Yoshika, and Lyn as the Britannian was coming to greet them as well. "Eila's babbling aside, it's very good to see you all again. We're all okay, save Barkhorn's injuries."

"Is your father here too?" Lyn asked Perrine.

The Gallian shook her head, "No. He is fine, but duty has called him elsewhere so that he may aid us in his own way. Thank you for asking." Perrine stepped forward and ruffled Lyn's hair playfully before grabbing her into a hug, "You're ready for the journey ahead, right? No time for rest yet."

Lynette laughed and hugged Perrine tight, "Yeah, my bow and I will always be at your side."

"Let that be so forever," Perrine sighed happily. She let go of Lyn and looked to Yoshika, "And you too are ready?"

The Fuson girl happily nodded, and replied, "You bet I am. Are we just gonna pack our things and leave again?"

"The sooner we leave, the better," Perrine answered. "Miyafuji, can you tend to Barkhorn's injuries?"

"What for?" Barkhorn asked. "I'm fine."

"You lost an eye and a hand," Perrine reminded her.

"There's nothing I can do about that," Miyafuji was sad to say. "But I really should take a look, uh, 'Trudie'. My magic can ease some of the scarring and stop any festering."

"If you insist," Barkhorn gave a disinterested shrug.

"So, just how _did_ you lose a hand?" Erica asked.

"Gather around and pour me a drink, and we'll explain it all," Gertrud replied, stepping past the group to sit before the fire at was once her usual place with Hartmann. "It wasn't all heroics, I mean, I lost my damned sword hand."

"Trudie..." Hartmann followed to sit beside her.

"Don't worry about me," the captain said. "I'll use a shield on my right arm and my left-hand sword, _Bladecatcher_ in my hand. I learned the value of the shield in Dunkelheit. You can break bones with those things."

"That's, uh, not what they're for," Erica chuckled and sat beside Gertrud. Yoshika sat on the captain's other side and tenderly went to removing the bandages around where her hand had been severed. She young Fuson girl instantly flinched when she saw how poorly the wound had been tended to.

"Eila," Barkhorn spoke up, letting Miyafuji do her work. "I want to reward you for all your help. You were our most valuable asset, and I don't think we would have made it without you."

Eila sat across from her with Sanya at her side and just shrugged, "Just pay it forward."

Gertrud shook her head, "No, I insist. We'll have some weeks before we reach our destination. During that downtime, I want to train you with a blade. I've heard legends of powerful wizards who mixed blade and magic to become stronger than any warrior. Hartmann, would you help me teach her?"

Erica smiled, "Sure, sounds fun! It's good to not have to rely on just magic."

Perrine spoke up as well, "I have some skill in a blade as well, I can aid in this too."

"Eh, I don't know about you Perrine," Eila frowned and then thought hard for a moment. It looked as if she was remembering something. She suddenly nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah! I definitely need something if magic doesn't work... I mean, uh, not that my spells would ever fail me. Just, a contingency is nice. Sure, why not? It could be fun."

The night was spent as wine was passed and the three witches told their story to the rest. There was a type of modesty in the way they told their tales that surprised the rest that had stayed. Perrine told her part with the most enthusiasm, and then with sorrow as she told about her sad farewell with her father. Eila spoke little of what she had done, simply saying it was a great battle but she didn't want to talk about it. Gertrud left out many of the details of her fight with Kunze, only that he had been a very vexing opponent. She told them of how she simply could not engage him like a regular enemy, which had been what had cost her a hand and eye.

The Strike Witches said goodnight to one another and retired for bed. The next day was to be spent preparing for their journey south. Spirits were high once more. Barkhorn decided that Eila would be trained with her sword, _Lionslicer_. The sword was a fine blade, as polished and beautiful as it was sharp and deadly. It was weighted well, easy for a newcomer to use if not a little heavy. Engraved into the pommel was a golden visage of a roaring lion.

Their journey was to take them to Rome. The only one who had been to Rome within the last decade was Aurora. Eila's sister was about as silent as Sanya was, and any attempts to ask about the city were met with shrugs and mutters like, "It's nothin' special."

Aurora had stocked up plenty of alcohol for the journey, and was quite content to drink and keep to herself.

From what Perrine knew, Rome was a conflicted city. It had changed hands countless times in the last century. At times Karlsland claimed it, then at other times it was the capital seat of the Holy Roman Empire, but now it was independent. Officially, the young duchess Maria Pier Di Romagna was the ruling body, but her rule was not absolute. The Thieves Guild and their queen and king controlled most of the underground and had more influence over the common folk. There had been a 'war' with them and the city's guards for years and years. The two fought for control, mostly using influence and gold as their weapons.

But Perrine had heard rumors that there was a new faction vying for control. The Blackguards had shown up with a small contingent of Dark Ones to serve as ambassadors of Neuroin. So far, there had been little conflict with them and the other factions. Perrine did not think that would last if they arrived. It was doubtful they could move anywhere in Europe without the Blackguards hounding them.

Getting the Queen of Thieves to side with them was what Perrine considered to be the greatest challenge yet. She was going to be entrenched deeper in her surroundings than Barkhorn was. Getting the knight to leave had been one thing, but this was going to be another entirely. Perrine hoped she could win the Queen's allegiance somehow and persuade her to leave... but working with the Queen meant potentially provoking the ire of the Blackguards and the Duchess. This was going to require a whole new degree of tact and subtly.

With the way Aurora was staggering around drunk, Perrine hoped this was possible.

With courage in her heart, she decided to take it one step at a time. She could not possibly know the adventure that awaited her in Rome. There would be new friends, new enemies, love and betrayal and even the chance to finally confront Neuroin.

But for now, all she had to worry about was having enough socks for the journey there and making sure everyone could stay friendly with one another. Perrine felt like the latter she didn't have to worry about.

As she was double checking all her supplies for the journey, she looked over at her companions. Eila was beneath a pine tree, using her magic to throw pine cones at the others. Barkhorn and Hartmann were blocking the pine cones with shields as Yoshika and Lynette returned fire with pine cones of their own. Sanya was sleepily sitting beside Aurora, who was reading a book and sipping at a bottle of wine. Chris was at the side lines, cheering her sister on. Soon those two would have a sad farewell, but this was just how it had to be.

_Yeah_, Perrine thought, _we'll be okay_.

**To Be Continued**

_**Author's Note/Commentary**- The fade to black of this chapter goes perfectly to the song _The Greys_ by Devin Townsend; just like the last chapter. Last song by him, I swear. Listen to it because this marks the last of the Strike Witches you'll see for a long time. _


	18. Witches of Romagna

**Bringing the Dawn**

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Witches of Romagna**

"_I got nothing to say I ain't said before  
I bled all I can, I won't bleed no more  
I don't need no one to understand  
Why the blood run hold  
The hired hand  
On heart  
Hand of God  
Floodland and Driven Apart  
Run cold  
Turn  
Cold  
Burn  
Like a healing hand _"

-_This Corrosion_ by _The Sisters of Mercy_

**57**

"For God's sake, finding help worth a damn these days is proving to be absolutely impossible!" spat Neuroin as he paced. "Is there not a single wretched soul I can place my trust into!? Where is that damnable adviser of mine!? She has much to answer for!"

"My lord," spoke General Alexi Vedeneyev as he bowed. "The Librarians say that Mio Sakamoto has left Paris. She fled with the help of members of our city watch."

"_What!?_" white fire exploded around Neuroin, causing the Orussian general to flinch back and raise his arm to shield away the brightness. "Why was she not stopped!? What use are the Neuroi!?"

"They claim they were not ordered to do so," Venedeyev answered. "The real problem lies with the city guard. It seems not all of them are as loyal as they should be."

"Men are easily replaceable," Neuroin said, and ceased his pacing. Their conversation took place in the council chamber. It was as dark a room as any of the rest, illuminated by glowing red lights that cast an eerie glow over everything. "I should have all of these men hanged. I've spent too long planning for what I will do after my victory over Europe is complete. It's time to take a more active hand."

Alexi bowed once more, "Yes, my lord. If it pleases you to know, we have thrown that incompetent fool Kunze into the Pits. We let him keep his Firebrand to give him some hope that he could defend himself, but the monsters were hungry."

Neuroin smiled, and his voice became deviously smooth, "The effort that went into acquiring those devils was well worth it. I want a team of our best to round up every guard. Torture them all all, every last one until they scream the names of the traitors. The trolls in the Pits will feast well. I hear they love the taste of witches the most. Nothing else would please me more than to throw the broken body of that 'adviser' and her contingent of witches to them. How she played me for a fool..."  
"She was cunning and shrewd," Neuroin's general said. "She is gone, and even if Dunkelheit has fallen and Karlslanders march to reinforce their borders, victory is very nearly in our grasp. A certain witch has confessed much to us. Kunze would talk to no other than her, and he knows much about the activities of the witches we hunt."

"Of whom do you speak?" Neuroin asked.

On the far side of the room, a witch appeared through the magic of teleportation all the higher ranking Blackguard officers had. Her form was being built from nothing out of what looked like the outlines of blue hexagons. She was a beautiful woman, with long hair the color of a winter sky. Her eyes were an emerald green, and her skin white like snow. On her face was a teasing smile as she stepped forward to greet the two men.

"I am so sorry, my lord Neuroin," she bowed, but looked up at Neuroin with that teasing look. "My dear brother was a fool, and I should have stopped you from letting him try to slay those witches. His degenerate love of... girls of my type was ultimately his undoing. However, he shared much with me before we threw him into the Pits."

Neuroin gave a genuine, pleased smile and told her, "Rise, Liita Kunze. You have done well, and I can think of no other to appoint for this mission. From what I understand, your brother only told you a little, yet I was told you know much of what these witches plan to do."

Liita Kunze nodded, "Oh yes, and unlike my brother I have the grandest of plans!"

"Oh, do tell me more..."

**58**

"Captain!" came the voice of a young, scared blackguard. He burst through the doors into the office of the local Blackguard captain. Captain Cornelii was one of the most loyal, trustworthy officers in all of Rome. If Calvus could trust anyone, it would be him.

He had spent a lot of time out of uniform in taverns, buttering up the right people and learning the right information. It had been hard, and had required some... less than savory acts, but now it was worth it. Calvus knew there was a traitor in their midst. Someone was providing information to the Thieves Guild and receiving information in turn. They were manipulating Blackguard movements based on Thieves Guild information to intentionally keep the two from crossing paths. It meant the Guild could conduct activities without fear of coming across the Blackguards.

Loyal to Rome, and loyal to Neuroin, Calvus felt proud of what he had uncovered.

"Captain!" he exclaimed again, "There's a traitor! The Commander, she's-"

Sitting at the desk was not Captain Cornelii, but someone else. She sat casually, wearing her modified version of the Blackguard officer uniform; made to show off a lot more skin. Her legs were resting on the desk, only really covered by boots. She was wearing a black armored corset that made her already impressive cleavage even more predominant. The only modesty the woman had was with her armored gloves and shoulders.

"Who's a traitor?" she smirked with lips covered in red lipstick. She lowered her legs from the desk and leaned forward. "I'm _dying _to hear."

Calvus stepped back, reaching for the door behind him. The handle wouldn't budge, as if it had somehow been locked from the wrong side just a second ago. He was stuck in this room with this orange-haired beauty.

Commander Shirley.

"Weren't expecting to see me?" she asked in a playful voice, "I wasn't expecting to be here. I've actually been demoted, and the captain? Well, he ran into some issues because just like you he had been poking his nose into the wrong business. You should have come to the _new_ commander. Now we answer to _Liita Kunze_, or at least we will whenever she decides to actually show up in the city."

"You _bitch_!" the Blackguard spat and went for the sword at his belt. He drew it and raised it against her, "You've just been letting those damned thieves run rampant! Have you no honor at all!? How much did they pay you to defect!?"

"Nothing," Shirley said, and drew her own Firebrand. She still wore her casual, and seductive smile. "It's hard to betray a side I was never really on. Isn't that, right, Lucchini?"

"Hee-hee, you bet!" came the light and playful voice of what sounded like a child. She appeared practically from thin air from the far corner of the room and its shadows. How she had remained unseen was a mystery. It was a small girl who looked Romagnan. Her skin was olive and her hair black, decorated into two long pig-tails. She could not have been older than twelve or thirteen.

"What is this treachery!?" Calvus demanded.

"Looks like he started to figure us out," Shirley said, and looked to her small companion. "What should I do with him, _my queen_?"

"I dunno!" the smaller girl chirped. "Get creative!"

The red-head nodded and began stepping around the desk towards him. The Blackguard raised his sword, and Shirley just laughed, "Hey! I ain't gonna hurt you! Not bad at least, you just gotta learn that some boundaries aren't supposed to be crossed..."

**59**

"Come on, lass! You're okay. We're almost there..." Trist told the woman he was helping along down the dark and frightening catacombs of Paris. Around them, a thousand skulls watched their passage and escape. In his hand was a torch that cast eerie shadows over the silent dead all around them.

Hardly a week back and things had already gone to hell. Sakamoto had overstepped her boundaries. For so long she had been manipulating the Neuroi with commands to go on 'witch hunts' to keep them off of Perrine so that her and the rest of the Strike Witches could make it across Europe safely. A few of these hunts were not ruses, and witches had died because of it. Now it was becoming quite obvious what Sakamoto was doing when nearly three thousand Neuroi had failed to reinforce Dunkelheit and drive those three witches out. The failure had been blamed on Jaeger Kunze, who was surely dead for it now, but Neuroin and his new pet Kunze were going to learn the truth sooner or later.

Mio Sakamoto had to get out of Paris, and Trist was determined to help her. Something about the way he had seen his daughter raised had left him feeling nothing but respect for his Fuson companion. Perrine was a strong, capable, and beautiful warrior who had inherited the best traits of his late wife and her foster mother. She had wielder her mother's rapier, _Meshuggah_, in a way that somehow emulated Evangelyne's style and Sakamoto's in a perfect mix. The rapier's name, the Jewish word for 'Crazy' didn't seem to fit Perrine though. In Evangelyne's hands, _Meshuggah _had been a perfect extension of her. In Perrine's, it needed a new name.

"...can't do this," Sakamoto muttered, barely even moving her legs anymore. "Just let me rest... just keep going, I'll rest here and catch up..."  
"No, you won't, lass. We're gonna keep goin'," Trist slowed down slightly to accommodate her. "We gotta get out of here quick. Blimey, just one Dark One could do us in right now."

"Please," the Fuson pleaded, "you d-don't... you don't know what it's like. He's taken so much from me he's-"  
"I damned well know what it's like," he cut her off. "A couple weeks ago they beat me senseless and threw me in a cell. They've taken my wife and tried time after time to kill my little girl. I know what it's like, Miss Sakamoto. Keep movin' your feet! We can rest when we're out of this bloody city!"

"Why do you care so much!?" Sakamoto demanded. "You're risking everything for me and I've hated you for so long. Why do you care if I live or die!?"  
"Because you're Perrine's damned mum!" Trist saw something that looked like a light far ahead. Maybe it was their way out. Maybe it was a trap. Only moving forward would tell. "Okay, you're slowin' me down. Come 'ere, let's go..." He dropped the torch and picked Sakamoto up, nearly bridal style and kept moving forward through the cold dark. If they could just make it to that light, they would be fine.

"I'm not her mother," Sakamoto's voice came weak and strained. "I... I was what I had to be. She's not my daughter... she's not my friend... she's... she's..."

"Whatever she is," Trist cut her off again, "she loves you and can hardly shut her mouth about you. "God, you're so much to her, don't you even know? No, you don't. Neither of you know how important you are to one another. I'm getting' you to Britannia just to see you two smile and hug."

"You're just trying to be the big heroic knight, huh?" Sakamoto managed to joke.

"Something like that," he chuckled. "You're a massive pain in the arse, Mio, but you did more for my daughter than I could ever have. Come on, we're almost out of this place. I'll get you to Folkestone and you friend Minna, don't you worry about thing. This one's on me for stealin' your girl."

"Yeah, you owe me, you bastard." Sakamoto smiled lightly and closed her eyes. She let herself rest and let herself be carried. Her time in Gallia was over, and there was nothing more she could do. For some nine months she had let herself be tormented and beaten to gain Neuroin's trust and favor. She had used that to manipulate the Neuroi to keep Perrine as safe as possible. Perrine did her job in turn, and soon her journey would be over.

Sakamoto was proud of Perrine beyond words. She wanted so much to hold her close and tell her this... tell her that she loved her as well. Back then, words like that had been so difficult. Things were different now, and the two of them had been through so much. They would be together soon, and Sakamoto felt a sense of peace knowing Perrine would be united with father and mother once more in a way.

She allowed herself rest now. Trist could take care of things until she awoke, and she would find some way to repay him with the time came.

**60**

"You will send me to Romanga," Liita Kunze told her master. "I will replace Commander Shirley as the resident Blackguard commander. She will be demoted and stuck to busy work as I take control."

"You realize _you_ are giving me orders now, yes? I do not appreciate this," Neuroin frowned down at her.

The Blackguard witch smiled and replied, "Yes, of course I do, dear Neuroin. I am not ordering, I am just saying this is what will happen. Am I wrong?"

He did not answer directly and instead said, "Continue."

"The witches will come there, hunting for the Queen of Thieves and some other lesser witch I care nothing for," she explained, and continued. "We will allow them to hunt this witch, but keep a close eye on them with all the means we have. When they expose the Queen of Thieves, I will use the best assassin in my arsenal."

"And who is this?" Neuroin asked her.

Liita smiled a very devious, and devilish smile, "Oh, no one with allegiance towards us, but we have worked together before. She's a witch, but if you allow me to give her back her magic as you did with me, she will slay the Queen of Thieves and perhaps the rest of the witches."

"This is not a power the Neuroi enjoy granting witches, you must understand," Neuroin reminded her. "They are sacrificing their life energy for the very thing they feed off of. The price must be worth the results or they will refuse."

"Oh, I know this quite well!" the Kunze girl laughed. "This mercenary will give us results, I promise you this!"

"And how are you so sure?"

"Because when we waved gold in her face, she killed the last Queen of Thieves for us. Aurora Juutilainen will do it again."

**To Be Continued in Book Two**

_**Author's Notes/Commentary: **__Go listen to _This Corrosion_ by _The Sisters of Mercy_ while imagining credits rolling down the screen._

_I don't know what else to say that I didn't say already in my first chapter's author's notes. If you're reading this, I'm monumentally grateful that you made it this far. I spend nine fucking months writing this fanfiction, and am glad if just ONE person reads this to the end and really liked this._

_There's more to come though! Hopefully it won't take another nine months for Book Two, but I can't make any promises. Reviews and positive feedback are motivators for me, as shallow as it is. If you liked this, say something! Just keep spoilers in the reviews to a minimum._

_Thanks for reading, everyone._

_-Tastychainsaws_


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